As many people are throwing their support behind the March for Our Lives rallies and the larger conversation around gun control in the U.S., Atlanta rapper Killer Mike has a very different view of what's going on.
He recently sat down with NRA TV host and guns rights activist Colion Noir to defend gun ownership and said he discouraged his children from taking part in the high school walkouts from earlier this month. "I told my kids on the school walkout: 'I love you but if you walk out that school, walk out my house.'" The Run The Jewels MC is known for his strong political stances on racism, mass incarceration, and other issues, and while this interview might have caught some by surprise, he's been an outspoken NRA supporter (and member) for quite some time.
In Mike's view, the important discussions about gun control should include voices from both sides. He also said that gun owners want violence against children to end, though they disagree on how to achieve that. "I have worked as a tireless advocate of children and disenfranchised women in my community. And I have also worked with gun groups like Georgians Against Gun Violence [...] If there's a table to be sat at, the gun owner needs to be there, so I try to see the problem from the whole perspective," he said in the clip. Mike and the host echoed similar ideas and claimed that though they may be viewed as "lackeys" for the NRA, the onus of that title is actually on everyone else. “You’re a lackey of the progressive movement because you’ve never disagreed with the people who tell you what to do,” the rapper explained.
The conversation shifted slightly to focus on the March for Our Lives protests, namely regarding the financial support it has received thus far. “Our biggest celebrities are donating millions to a march while our inner-city schools are in deplorable conditions,” said Noir, to which Mike agreed and added, "Celebrities are told what to do." He went on to take down not only anti-gun campaigns but shared that he declined to do an anti-bullying drop for an unnamed radio station. "Your child needs to get punched in the face so he can learn to punch someone back," he said. "You have to develop the aptitude to fight back. We are raising a generation of kids where everyone gets a trophy. But in real life, everyone don’t get a trophy. In real life, the cops don’t come on time."
Watch the full interview above.
