Jason Aldean on the Gun Control Debate: ‘I Have My Opinions, But What the Hell Do I Know?’
The 2017 mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas has moved many country stars to speak out about their beliefs surrounding gun control, but country star Jason Aldean -- who was in the midst of a performance when gunfire suddenly broke out -- believes it's "not his place" to take a strong stance for or against policy change in favor of stricter gun laws, according to a recent interview with EW.
"I'm not a politician," the country star says. "I'm not trying to push my own agenda. If I say that I believe this, I'm going to piss off half of the people, and if I say I believe that, I'm going to piss off the other half. I have my opinions, but what the hell do I know?"
Aldean goes on to say that he believes that the violent video games available to children play some role in what has become the United States' epidemic of mass shootings. "I think part of the issue is kids sitting at home playing virtual reality games where they're shooting people all day," he explains. "They sit down for hours and hours and that starts to become actual reality."
As an artist, Aldean is careful to keep his focus on his music. Aside from personally dedicating his upcoming album, Rearview Town, to the victims of the shooting in Las Vegas, he wants to keep a clear distinction between his support for the victims and his own career as a country musician. "I never want people to feel like I'm exploiting that situation and trying to hawk my records," he goes on to say. "I'm just hoping that, on this album cycle, we can talk about whatever people want to know so we can go, 'Okay, there's nothing left to say, let's focus on whatever we do next from here on out.'"
Remembering the Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting Victims