Last night, Jason Isbell opened up to The Daily Show guest host Desi Lydic about his song “Save the World,” which was inspired by the deadly 2022 Uvalde, Texas school shooting.
The Americana artist said the song came from the fear he has as the father of a young daughter and his worry about keeping her safe.
“When I’m writing about something that heavy, I find the best way to do it, for me, is to go from my own personal perspective,” Isbell said. “I don’t have any experience in a mass shooting situation, so I’m not going to write a song about that. But what I will write about is being at the grocery store and hearing a balloon pop, and the first thing that comes into my mind is, ‘Oh my God, is somebody in here with a gun?’ And I know it is extremely frustrating for a whole lot of people in this country to deal with.
“I think it’s something that is a capitalist issue at heart,” he continued. “I think all those companies that sprung up after the Brady Bill was repealed are really kind of pulling the strings right now and selling people something that they don’t need, so they can feel proud of something that they really shouldn’t be proud of.”
The Brady Bill was enacted in 1994 and mandated federal background checks on firearm purchasers in the United States. It expired in 2004 and has yet to be reenacted. While federal purchases of guns require background checks, today approximately 1 in every 5 gun sales occurs without a background check, due in large part to the rise of gun shows and websites that facilitate private sales online.
This isn’t the first time Isbell has advocated for gun reform. In 2023, Isbell partnered with dozens of Nashville musicians for Together in Action, a benefit concert aimed at raising awareness about gun violence in Tennessee.
Check out his full interview with Lydic below:
