Hip-hop entrepreneur Michael “Blue” Williams is proposing an unusual plan to deal with gun violence in New York: offer tickets to see Jay-Z or Beyonce at their upcoming shows to anyone who brings in a firearm for buyback. Williams also plans to augment the buyback model in more substantiative ways, giving the option for kids and teens with to sign up for a mentoring program when they bring in their guns. “The Beyoncé show is coming to Brooklyn; the Jay-Z show is coming to Yankee Stadium,” Williams said. “Our goal is to reach out to individuals who are in my industry, in my world and who I have an association with and get their support.”
In order for for the plan, dubbed “Guns for Greatness,” to go forward, police commissioner Ray Kelly will have to sign off on it. So far, he seems tentatively supportive. “We want to get as many guns off the streets, and if this works, we’d like to support it,” adding that the program needs more study, and that “You need police officers present. You’d need the expertise.”
