In an interview with VladTV, Lil Yachty expressed his thoughts regarding gun control and shared that he sides more with Killer Mike than he does with Vic Mensa on the issue.
The rapper got into how he understands why some citizens are desperate for gun control and sensible regulation, and that he himself has fortunately never been a victim of gun violence, which may have attributed to his pro-gun stance.
“I rightfully respect Killer Mike a hundred percent,” Yachty said. “He knows my father, he’s known my father for years.” When asked about Vic Mensa’s disagreement on the issue with Mike, Yachty said he empathizes with those seeking stricter gun laws, but simply can’t support a general ban—which, to be fair, isn’t really the argument.
“Me and Vic Mensa we had our, you know, run-ins,” he said. “We’re not friends or nothing, but I know Vic Mensa has a history… that’s only related to the people around him. He’s dealt with a lot serious situations. He’s lost a lot of people. He’s from Chicago, you know what I’m saying? So, can’t nobody tell him what he’s been through. He looks at things probably a whole different way when it comes to guns. So I kinda understand… I get where he’s coming from. I can’t relate or nothing, but I feel him—but I’m with Mike on that, a hundred percent on the guns.”
When it comes to his private life and how he personally treats gun ownership, Yachty made it clear he isn’t trying to associate himself with gunplay or publicly tout his relationship to firearms. “I don’t post guns,” he said, referring to social media. “Ain’t nobody ever seen a picture of me with no gun. I have my guns for safety.”
Yachty went on to say how he believes a ban on guns wouldn’t rid the country of gun violence, it would merely relegate ownership to criminals who’d find a way of using guns regardless of the legal status. “It’s more difficult to… think about the legalization of guns being taken away, because a lot of people would be more afraid to have one,” he said. “Taking away guns from people who are using them for the right reasons, and more so for everyone who’s not. Niggas who are using guns for the wrong reasons don’t care that it’s legal. They gon’ have a gun regardless. So to take away the legalization of guns from the people who are only trying to protect themselves, that’s the scary part to me.”
The national discussion surrounding gun rights and mass shootings seems to be stuck in a binary loop, where people who are desperate for more sensible regulations are misunderstood as demanding an outright ban and encroachment on the Second Amendment. While Yachty seems to be falling into that himself here, he expresses his desire to own a gun exclusively for safety, as is his right, regardless of the actual conversation we should probably be having as a country.
“Bro, if you take away the legalization they’re not going to go away,” he said. “That’s what scares me, bro, if they take away the legalization. ‘Cause then you have to ride around dirty. There’s no way I’m not gonna have a gun, 'cause you just never know what’ll go down in Atlanta. But I’d rather be able to protect myself and have the right, and not have to think about the consequences if I’m just trying to protect myself.”
