Feds Charge GunTube Legend Dugan Ashley—Community Fires Back

Jordan Derrick—the Iraq War combat veteran the world knows as Dugan Ashley of CarniK Con—now faces federal charges in the Western District tied to his videos on energetic materials.

Let that land for a second.

The same government that can't secure the southern border found the time and the resources to go after a decorated veteran who built a GunTube institution on hard-won military knowledge, sharp humor, and a genuine love for the firearms community.

**This is what selective enforcement looks like.**

The charges stem from videos covering explosive and energetic materials. Content that is educational in nature. Content consistent with material found in military field manuals, university chemistry courses, and books sitting right now on Amazon's bestseller lists. The feds didn't go after the books. They didn't go after the professors. They chose Dugan.

CarniK Con wasn't some shady backroom operation. Millions of gun owners grew up watching those videos. The channel was built on the credibility of a man who actually served—who learned what he taught in a combat zone, not a conference room. That's exactly the kind of voice the firearms community trusts. Apparently, it's also exactly the kind of voice the federal government wants silenced.

**If they can criminalize a veteran for teaching what the Army already publishes, no firearms educator, no GunTube creator, and no gun writer is safe.** That's not paranoia—that's the logical endpoint of this prosecution, and it's precisely why the community can't afford to look away.

The chilling effect here is the whole point. Make an example of someone beloved. Watch everyone else self-censor. Watch the next CarniK Con never get made.

A defense fund is now active. The firearms community is already rallying. Dugan Ashley served this country. Now it's time to show up for him.

Find the defense fund, share this story everywhere, and don't let this one get buried in the news cycle. **If they can do this to Dugan, they can do it to anyone—and they know it.**

Watch this case. It may be the most important 2A free-speech fight of the year—and it's just getting started.