It’s weird. Rap music is known for invoking firearms on a regular basis, even if they’re not described as being used in the most responsible way. Yet rappers seem to invariably gravitate toward the anti-Second Amendment politicians.

With every generality about people, there are exceptions. One of those is rapper Michael Render, AKA Killer Mike.

Pro-Second Amendment rapper Killer Mike accused anti-gun protestors of racial hypocrisy in an interview with NRA-TV that drew a strong backlash on a day of nationwide marches in favor of gun control.

In a discussion with NRA-TV host and lawyer Colin Noir on Thursday, the rapper, half of the duo Run the Jewels, said African-Americans need guns to protect themselves. He added that not all progressives are genuine allies of African-Americans — and that some progressives are “going to progress us into slavery.”

“A football player just got shot by an armed white man — for a traffic argument. A black teenager got shot by an armed white man in a gas station because… he had played his music loud. Where were you then? Where?” he asked.

…

He also cited the fictional African nation in “Black Panther” that avoided invasion or colonization, saying that in Wakanda, “everybody had guns, and spears, and whatever else you needed.”

And he addressed accusations that Noir is a “lackey” for the NRA, telling critics: “You’re a lackey of the progressive movement because you have never disagreed with the people who tell you what to do.”

His comments did not sit well with gun-control advocates. On a day when countless celebrities joined March for Our Lives events, he was the rare entertainer speaking in favor of gun ownership. And he was perhaps the only celebrity voice from the left.

His comments didn’t sit well because he was a black man talking with another black man, both of whom refuse to step back onto the plantation. I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t either.

The fact of the matter is that while so many race-baiters try to paint gun control as a racial issue, that may not be the wisest move possible.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics:

Among blacks the risk of nonfatal violent victimization varied across demographic characteristics. During the 5-year period from 2001 to 2005, comparative nonfatal violent victimizations showed –

• Black males were more vulnerable to violent victimization than black females.
• Younger blacks were generally more likely than older blacks to be victims of violence.
• Blacks who had never married were more likely than all other blacks to be victims of violence.
• Blacks in households with lower annual incomes were at a greater risk of violence than those in households with higher annual incomes.
• Blacks living in urban areas were more likely than those in suburban or rural areas to be victims of violence.

Black victims of homicide were most likely to be male (85%) and between ages 17 and 29 (51%). Homicides against blacks were more likely than those against whites to occur in highly populated areas, including cities and suburbs. About 53% of homicides against blacks in 2005 took place in areas with populations of at least 250,000 people, compared to about 33% of homicides of white victims. Blacks were killed with a firearm in about 77% of homicides against them.

Yes, some of these crimes may be due to criminal activity on the part of the victim, but not all of them by any means. Due to socioeconomic factors, African Americans are far more likely to live in low-income neighborhoods where crime is more common.

In other words, they need the Second Amendment more than most anyone else. Killer Mike and Colion Noir are examples of two black men who get that reality.

Again, though, it’s not a black/white issue, despite the efforts of a handful of gun control advocates to make it so.

No, it’s about human rights. Namely, the right to defend yourself. If you’re a law-abiding citizen, you should have access to the most effective means of protecting your life. That’s a firearm. It’s just that simple.