Flavor Flav Demands Gun Reform in Bold Newsweek Op-Ed
July 10, 2025
Flavor Flav, the legendary rapper and cofounder of Public Enemy, is using his voice for more than music. In a passionate op-ed published by Newsweek on July 2, he addressed what he describes as an “epidemic of gun violence” in America, calling for stronger gun laws and even advocating for a nationwide gun ban.
Reflecting on his own experiences, Flav opened up about once being incarcerated at Rikers Island because of gun-related charges. “I would know,” he wrote, noting how easy it still is for dangerous weapons to land in the wrong hands. “Our schools aren’t safe and our kids aren’t safe.”
He didn’t shy away from criticizing the normalization of school shootings and the fear-based culture that fuels the country’s obsession with firearms. “School shootings are normalized,” he said, describing America’s gun violence crisis as “domestic terrorism.”
To spark change, Flav and his longtime partner Chuck D released a new Public Enemy song, March Madness. The track starts with a chilling 911 call from a school shooting, and serves as a wake-up call to a nation, Flav says, that is “marching into madness.”