WASHINGTON, DC: Migos rapper Quavo has taken a proactive stance against gun violence, a cause that hit close to home following the loss of his nephew and fellow band member Takeoff to gun violence last year.
On September 20, Quavo made a significant move by meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and participating in a panel discussion on gun violence. This discussion, in collaboration with the Community Justice Action Fund, aimed to address and advocate for gun violence prevention.
Quavo takes stand against gun violence alongside VP Kamala Harris
"I feel like your calling comes at the least expected times," said Quavo, as per AP. "You don’t think nothing is going to happen."
"I need to step up to the plate and hit a homerun. I have to do something about it, so it won’t happen to the masses — especially in our culture. I don’t want this to happen to the next person. I want to knock down these percentages," he said.
"We need to do better with the control of guns," Quavo added. "We need to figure out how do we keep these types of incidents from happening to people going anywhere and thinking they can hurt somebody where it shouldn’t happen."
After Takeoff's tragic shooting in 2022, Quavo found himself grappling with a pressing question, "How do we use (guns) safely?"
"And how do you keep them out of the hands of people that make bad decisions?" he asked.
"I’m kind of in a half-and-half place. Even police have guns. Unfortunately, some of the people in our culture and loved ones have been lost to police brutality. It’s all about choices and how we can put a filter on who can use these guns."
Quavo's White House involvement sparks online debate on gun control
However, Quavo's involvement and the discussions at the White House reignited a longstanding and contentious debate on gun control and gun violence prevention across various online platforms.
As opinions clashed, some users highlighted the perceived irony, urging the rapper to align his actions with his advocacy.
Others challenged the notion that guns were the core issue, leading to intense exchanges of views. Amidst this, a certain section of users attributed the problem to a "lifestyle" rather than solely focusing on the role of firearms.
People online have taken to trolling the rapper for speaking out about gun reforms.
One user wrote on X, "It wasn’t guns, it was the lifestyle and the people they were around To turn around and blame guns is wild."
Another wrote, "But he promotes it in his music lmfaooo."
A third agreed, saying, "Stop rapping about it, to be honest. Set a good example for these young boys who look up to you."
"You only get to talk about Gun control cos it affects you, but when the shit is other way round you ghosted," blamed a fourth.
Someone else added, "Stop rapping about murder. Then convince the others to stop programming the youth with lyrics about murder. Be the example then set the example."
