Rappers Against Pistols (R.A.P.)

Too many rappers have died over the last few years due to gun violence. Gun homicides against rappers represent a critical and multifaceted issue within the music industry and society at large. Despite efforts to address gun violence in America, the targeted nature of these crimes against specific demographics highlights systemic challenges in promoting safety, addressing socio-economic disparities, and protecting artistic expression.

CNN Journalist, Jemele Hill, says that when she was in college, Biggie and 2 Pac were killed and she thought there was no way this could happen again. She adds now it's happening so frequently. that you barely have time to recover before someone else killed. A couple other rappers were also quoted with Rapper Ja Rule writing, "this s**t has to STOP," while fellow rap star, Lecrae, wrote, "No hot takes. No profound thoughts. Just sad that another rapper, son, brother, and friend has been killed. God be with all those who feel the loss.”

Per the research, we found that in approximately 80% of gun homicides, Handguns are the weapon of choice as opposed to long guns. Approximately 20% of the Handguns are Glocks. Approximately 90% of the Handguns used in homicides are illegal.

In a November report, CNN wrote that a major rapper has been killed by gun violence every year since 2018. In addition to this report, the below artists had their own views on this:

• In a 2019 interview, rapper Jim Jones said being a rap artist was "the most dangerous job in the world," https://bit.ly/3JXFbBE.
• “Respectfully, being a rapper has become the most dangerous job in America,” said Fabolous in December 2020, following the shooting of Miami rapper Zoey Dollaz.
• The list of murdered rappers is long. In November 2021, Memphis hip-hop artist Young Dolph was fatally shot while buying cookies for his grandmother. In May 2019, Nipsey Hussle was gunned down right in the L.A. community he was working so hard to uplift and empower. In February 2022, Tdott Woo, a Pop Smoke protégé, was shot and killed in Brooklyn right after signing a record deal.https://bit.ly/3JXFbBE.

We would like to implement our initial Rappers Against Pistols (RAP) initiative in the communities of Atlanta Georgia and Dallas, Texas, which is a Handgun-only Buyback Amnesty program. If we tailor a buyback program to Handguns only and target the youth who are usually the perpetrators, we can reduce gun violence in at-risk neighborhoods. We will do this by offering $2,000 per handgun and $3000 per Glock turned in, as well as offer additional resources like mental health courses, E.Q. courses, and music educational courses for those who turn in these weapons.

There were two recent Gun Buyback events held locally here in Dallas, “The Gun Buyback event held in Dallas on October 21, 2023, saw significant success with 128 firearms voluntarily surrendered. This initiative was a collaborative effort involving District 2 Council Member Jesse Moreno, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, Sheriff Marian Brown and her team, as well as Constable Orozco and his precinct.” The other buyback program partnered with Shaquille O’Neal and offered a $100 gift card for handguns and $125 for long firearms. Even though this pilot program was a success on collecting guns, the people who are likely to participate in gun buybacks aren’t usually the perpetrators of gun violence. Its also noted that participants are older and therefore we plan to reinvent the guidelines of this program.

Our proposal involves fundraising enough money and resources to partner with the Atlanta Police Department and the Dallas Police Department (DPD)to roll out a new and improved gun buyback program, and launch a Celebrity-Musician hosted Handgun-ONLY Exchange Program with specific criteria.

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