Killer Mike’s killer Gripe
Written by: J. Stokes – March 28, 2018
Americans have been in constant debate, especially within the past couple of months, over gun control. Just four days ago students, staff, and members from Parkland, Florida, which experienced a deadly mass school shooting this past Valentine’s Day, organized March For Our Lives, which comprised a large gathering in Washington, DC to demand for legislative action on gun control. John Rosenthal, who is a founder of Stop Handgun Violence in Massachusetts, predicted that 2018 will mark the first year in which reducing gun violence will be an issue that motivates voters nationwide (Arsenault & Levenson, 2018). Despite this, however, there are many who feel the push for gun control is infringing upon the rights of responsible gun owners. Others say such action could take away their liberties as U.S. citizens.
According to Arsenault and Levenson (2018), despite efforts to pass gun control legislation the GOP-controlled Congress is “unlikely to make major changes to gun laws” (para. 2). Some believe this is because the National Rifle Association (NRA), which is a large proponent of the second amendment (you know, the right to bear arms spiel?), greatly influences politicians. In fact, the NRA’s contributions to the campaigns of individual federal candidates are well documented.
Enough with the background info…
NRATV, which is the NRA’s broadcast outlet, had a video supporting gun ownership go viral on the same day as March For Our Lives (March 24th). The video was posted to NRATV’s Twitter page as well, along with a quote that seemed to go against the March For Our Lives event. This video was a condensed interview between NRATV host Collins Iyare Idehen Jr., who goes by the name Colion Noir, and popular hip-hop artist, member of the Run the Jewels duo, and political activist Killer Mike.
The full version of this video was recorded on March 18th and released on Thursday, March 22nd along with the condensed version. In this video, Noir begins with an opening monologue by himself, in a room with his back turned to an open window. He asks, “What are you really marching for?” supposedly speaking to those who organized and supported the March For Our Lives event. Noir follows by asserting, “Because from where I’m standing it looks like a march to burn the Constitution and re-write the parts that you all like in crayon.”
After some more words from Noir, the camera cuts to black. Next, we see him and Killer Mike sitting in a recording studio together. Noir begins by addressing the Parkland school shooting incident, to which Killer Mike says, “Very tragic.” Noir follows by asserting that those who support the second amendment and those who want better gun control disagree with how they want to save the lives of children in schools. Sidebar – Though people who support the second amendment and those who want better gun regulations are often put on opposite ends of a spectrum, just know that you can do both… Anyways, Killer Mike speaks after Noir’s point, asserting, “If there’s a table to be sat at, the gun owner needs to be there.” This statement is followed up by him saying, “So I kind of try to see a problem from the whole perspective.” From here, Killer Mike acknowledges that he disagrees with members of the NRA on certain points but agrees with what NRA spokesman Dana Loesch once said regarding White mothers. The quote he is referring to came from a Conservative Political Action Conference, in which Loesch addressed the mainstream media, stating, “I’m not saying you love the tragedy, but you love the ratings. Crying White mothers are ratings gold.”
Killer Mike’s take on Loesch’s comment was that it is a feeling many members of the Black community have. In his defense, Killer Mike might have been referring to the fact that Black victims of gun violence are often overlooked by the media. This point is seemingly supported by others like 11-year-old Naomi Wadler, who during the March For Our Lives event got up on the main stage and said, “I am here to acknowledge and represent the African American girls whose stories don’t make the front page of every national newspaper.”
As the condensed interview between Killer Mike and Noir progressed, it steered in a direction that seemingly criticized progressive individuals. Killer Mike also made a case that gun ownership for Black U.S. citizens is a civil rights issue. We won’t detail the entire condensed interview, but you can watch it for yourself by clicking play on the link below:
The Aftermath
This condensed interview was met with backlash from the public. Much of the frustration came from this video going viral on the same day as March For Our Lives. A common thought was that the video was trying to take away from those protestors who were fighting for stricter gun laws.
People who know of and appreciate Killer Mike criticized him for using NRATV as a platform, especially when many of the NRA’s most prominent members have publicly attacked the survivors of the school shooting in Parkland on multiple occasions. After all the backlash, Killer Mike decided to post two videos on Twitter explaining his point of view concerning the NRA and his interview with NRATV. He began in his first video by stating that he tried to follow in the footsteps of his hero, the late civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by sitting down with the NRA, a group who Killer Mike says he does not always agree with, for an interview. Killer Mike followed this up by asserting that he did an interview about Black gun ownership in this era and that his interview was used to disparage the March For Our Lives event. He made it known that he supported this event and apologized to the youth organizers who were fighting for better gun control.
In his second video posted to Twitter, Killer Mike said, “My interview with said organization, who we all don’t agree with, was supposed to be something that continued a conversation, or that helped the conversation happen that I felt needed to happen. And that conversation is about African American gun ownership.” He went on to explain that the reason why African American, or Black, gun ownership is important in the present day is because Blacks must maintain certain rights and demands in their communities.
- Indiana Jones’s Fists – Twitter page.(Image Credit: twitter.com)
Killer Mike followed this up by saying that his interview with NRATV should have never been used in contrast to March For Our Lives and he was sorry that adults on the left and the right were trying to use him as a lightning rod.
Still, after Killer Mike’s clarification of the condensed interview that the NRA put out, many continued to criticize him. Those who did so included HOT 97 host Ebro Darden, who stated that he did not watch the full interview but only saw clips (from what one can assume was the condensed interview). It is important that one listen to Killer Mike’s full interview with Noir before passing judgement. Darden, like many others made the mistake of not doing so. If you are interested in listening to the unedited interview, click play on the link below (we strongly encourage this):
Final Words
While Killer Mike seemingly tried to do a good thing, his platform of choice could have been better. It is important to note that the NRA has a history of treating Black individuals unfairly. This was pointed out by Black author, filmmaker, and historian Tariq Nasheed, who brought up Philando Castile. Castile was a Black legal gun owner fatally shot by a police officer named Jeronimo Yanez on July 6, 2016 during a traffic stop. He reportedly informed Yanez that he was armed and complied with the officer’s orders. The NRA failed to comment on this incident, though it involved a person who was exercising their second amendment rights. Taking this into account, it is difficult to believe that NRATV would make a conscious effort to convey Killer Mike’s message of Black gun ownership.
At the end of the day, individuals must always be cognizant of the platforms they choose to speak on. As Killer Mike learned, some will attempt to twist your words into a message that fits their own narrative. To be fair, any platform can do this. Concerning guns, however, it comes as no surprise that the NRA would turn Killer Mike’s message about Black gun ownership into a stand against the March For Our Lives event. Hopefully, this mistake will not have a lasting negative effect on him, considering his activism, and also does not take away from the efforts of those who are fighting for what they believe in, regarding safety from the misuse of guns in the U.S.
**We hope you enjoyed this read and that it clarified some things regarding the debate surrounding gun control. This issue is touchy, especially since many in America strongly believe in the U.S. Constitution. Please leave comments or questions for us! We’d be more than happy to engage in a dialogue!
References
Arsenault, M., & Levenson, M. (2018, March 26). Gun control activists brace for long haul – The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 29, 2018, from https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/03/26/gun-control-activists-brace-for-long-haul/v2IAlcWZc8ATKpMFieKzFL/story.html
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