While politicians have sparked discussion or skirted around the topic all-together, it seems as though a prominent musician has taken a major step towards ending gun violence in America. In the wake of last week’s mass shootings, Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds has taken to Twitter to pitch his own ideas in hopes of ending America’s epidemic.
https://twitter.com/DanReynolds/status/1158986843213324288
What brings the people together to make change? Reynolds seems to think the answer is music. After the failure of Woodstock 50, the singer has proposed a new festival in its place with world peace still in mind Within days of the back-to-back shootings, the singer began his pitch with a persuasive tweet and continued on to state, “It’s gonna take our artists and people of influence stepping up. Because lawmakers ARE NOT.”
He continued to rally fellow musicians, tweeting, “I envision multiple festivals across America filled with our leading artists and voices rallying together to show our leaders that we aren’t as divided as they may think. There are outliers, sure. But there are MANY of us that say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.”
Support began to pour in as Reynolds appealed to his peers, with artists such as Zedd, The Revivalists, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, Bishop Briggs, The Head and The Heart, and countless more volunteering.
The singer described ways in which the festival would counteract gun violence and illegal possession in the same flood of tweets, stating it would be “raising money for organizations that are fighting for new legislation regarding gun laws.” Along with the funding of anti-gun violence organizations, he elaborated on other ideas he was considering, such as gun owners turning in illegal weapons for a free ticket without legal repercussion. Instead of forcefully bringing about change, Reynolds is attempting to coerce the nation peacefully with music and incentives.
https://twitter.com/DanReynolds/status/1159657547823034370?s=20
Many were quick to attack his initial statement, but the singer quickly defended his cause. While he originally stated that the festival would be free of political bias, he clarified that he meant it would benefit the cause itself, rather than a political opinion towards gun ownership. He wants the festival to promote “common sense” laws and legislation that would save lives, rather than pushing politically-fueled agendas.
The singer has been a major ally and advocate in the past for many causes, his most prominent cause being the LGBT+ community. His most recent proposal comes as no shock, as he co-founded Loveloud Festival, a Salt Lake City music fest held in support of LGBT+ youth. Reynolds, who is openly Mormon, founded the festival after recognizing a fault within his own community—its shunning of the LGBT+ community. Similarly to Loveloud, he is now using his platform to recognize issues within a larger community: gun violence in American society.
https://twitter.com/DanReynolds/status/1159299231602991104?s=20
With his Twitter bio reading, “I want to see real change in this world. I want to help end gun violence and hatred in America in any way possible,” Dan Reynolds is, and has been, an extremely vocal activist. In areas where he believes lawmakers are failing, he vouches for change. With his progressive voice and the solidarity of his peers, Reynolds is attempting to change the world, one music festival at the time.
Featured image via Dan Reynolds
