The nation is still reeling from yet another senseless mass shooting, this time in Santa Fe, Texas, where 10 people lost their lives and another 10 were injured at the hands of a 17-year-old student. Punk rockers The Fever 333 are dealing with the latest tragedy the only way they know how… through music.

The California band is offering a free download of their new song “Trigger,” via their website. The bombastic song deals with the timely subject matter of mass shootings and how the guns people own for protection are the same weapons being used to kill innocent children. Fans can download the song here.

Frontman Jason Aalon Butler announced the free track standing in front of the NRA building in Washington D.C. See the video above.

He released a lengthy statement saying he doesn’t want to “tilt anyone towards my side of a complicated argument with biases” and that he doesn’t want to “add more fuel to the fire” on the divided issue of guns in America but something must be done.

He adds, “I’m just here to ask our country to be honest with ourselves and understand it would be remiss, ignorant, and blatantly irresponsible if we didn’t acknowledge that we have developed a problem when it comes to gun violence in America.”

Read his complete statement below:

I’m not here to tilt anyone towards my side of a complicated and ideological argument with biases.

I’m not here to add more fuel to the fire that burns between those divided on this issue.

I’m not even here to talk about where I stand.

I’m just here to ask our country to be honest with ourselves and understand it would be remiss, ignorant, and blatantly irresponsible if we didn’t acknowledge that we have developed a problem when it comes to gun violence in America.

This statement alone seems to upset some, but please know that I am not saying I want to take away your rights granted in the constitution and I’m not saying anything about any individual that bears a firearm as I don’t venture to know each and every one of you.

But I do know we are leading the planet in gun related deaths and now we are seeing a disturbing frequency in what they consider mass shootings. We have children taking the lives of other children with these weapons. We have people using weapons designed to efficiently kill as many people as possible to do just that. We are the only country in the world facing this issue the way we do.

I understand there are a collection of factors at play when dealing with shooters; mental health, education, misinformation to name a few, and I am not mitigating or pushing those aside, but today – RIGHT NOW I’m talking about the acquisition of firearms. I’m talking about the protocol by which we obtain firearms and the statistical problem we are fostering every day we do not ask for some sort of reform, solution, or acknowledgement regarding this matter.

I understand how we got here, rebellion got us here and rebellion will keep us here – but when the things that we want to protect ourselves with are killing us, we need to have that conversation and it needs to happen now.

The cover art for the single features an outline of the U.S. with a trigger scope over the middle of the country. Written above is the line, “Is now a good time to talk?"

The Fever 333 will take the stage tonight in Lincoln, Neb. Listen to "Trigger" below.

The Fever 333, "Trigger"

Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
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