Jason Aldean Faces Backlash Over Pro-Gun Lyrics

Jason Aldean is facing backlash following the release of new song 'Try That in a Small Town' which features pro-gun messaging.

It quickly raised eyebrows, as fans parsed through the controversial lyrics.

“Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough / Well, try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / Around here, we take care of our own / You cross that line, it won’t take long / For you to find out, I recommend you don’t.”

“Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that s—t might fly in the city, good luck.”

Listeners took to social media to call him out, especially in light of his own experience with mass shootings. 

Back in 2017, a gunman opened fire in the audience of a concert while Jason was performing onstage. It left 58 people dead and 546 injured.

“Uvalde? Small town. VA Tech? Small college town. Newtown? Small New England town. Parkland? Small town that had just been voted Florida’s *safest* town. Most mass shootings occur in *small towns* @Jason_Aldean. Your listeners are dying."

Jason has shed some light on the inspiration behind the song.

“When u grow up in a small town, it’s that unspoken rule of ‘we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other.’ It feels like somewhere along the way, that sense of community and respect has gotten lost. Deep down we are all ready to get back to that. I hope my new music video helps y’all know that u are not alone in feeling that way.”

Following the Vegas incident, he confessed he initially wasn't registering what was happening.

“We wear in-ear monitors when we’re on stage. And really all you can hear is the music and, you know, maybe your guys that can talk to you on microphones that are on side-stage or whatever. So when it first happened, I thought a speaker had blown. It just sounded like a crackling something. And so, I’m kind of looking around like, ‘What is that?’ [and] trying to figure out what it is. And then it stopped, so I was like, they must have got it fixed, so I kept doing my thing.”

He also honoured those affected during a separate performance the same month.

“I know I don’t have to tell you guys this, but it’s been a rough couple of months for us up here and it’s a lot of fun to get back out and play for the people that matter, which is you guys. I spent a lot of time and a long time trying to make it in this business and doing something that I really enjoy. I’ll be damned if anybody is ever going to stop me from doing that.”

This isn't the first time the country star has raised eyebrows. In August last year, he showed support for his wife Brittany after she made alleged transphobic comments.

“I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life."

Marren Morris called her out referring to the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol building.

“It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie."

Jason showed his support by calling Brittany "MY Barbie," in the comments, and has since broken his silence following the backlash of his song.

“In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far.”

He also slammed critics for bringing up the mass shooting of 2017.

“As so many pointed out, I was present at Route 91-where so many lost their lives- and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy. NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart “‘Try That In A Small Town,’ for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences. My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this Country don’t agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to- that’s what this song is about.”