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VICKSBURG, Mississippi (WAPT) — Vicksburg truck driver uses music to encourage youth to put down guns
Youth violence continues to impact communities across Mississippi, and in Vicksburg, recent crimes involving teenagers have many asking what can be done to reach young people before it’s too late.
One Vicksburg native believes the answer starts with a message young people can relate to.
Tim Rawlings isn’t a recording artist or celebrity. He’s a truck driver who says he was inspired to create a song after watching gun violence affect his hometown.
Rawlings and his fiancée wrote “Put the Guns Down,” pairing it with an artificial intelligence-generated music video that tells the story of young lives impacted by violence. He says the goal isn’t to produce a hit song but to encourage young people to make better choices.
“I see a lot of gun violence going on in this area,” Rawlings said. “Me and my fiancée decided to put a song together called ‘Put the Guns Down.’”
Rawlings hopes the song encourages young people to walk away from violence before it changes their lives.
Some young people say the message is one they need to hear.
“Yeah, I feel like they should put the guns down because it’s bad out here,” said Robert Williams, a member of Rawlings’ family.
We also asked teenagers whether they believe music influences young people.
“Yes, because they promote it and the kids are going to try to follow it,” said Rataviia Butler, Rawlings’ stepdaughter, when asked whether rap music can influence young people to get involved in crime.
Seventeen-year-old Arnasia Butler agreed.
“I do think the bad music does promote the youth to do bad things,” she said.
Rawlings believes if music has the power to influence young people negatively, it can also be used to inspire positive change.
“These kids these days are listening to the negative, and they’ll actually go out and do it,” Rawlings said. “We’re trying to give them something positive to listen to, so it can kind of change the thought process and start turning to God.”
Rawlings said he hopes the song sparks conversations throughout Vicksburg and reminds young people their future is worth more than picking up a gun.
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