Stevie Wonder: 'Everyone Has To Be Accountable For The Guns That They Carry'

Stevie Wonder: 'Everyone Has To Be Accountable For The Guns That They Carry'
Stevie Wonder performs in concert during his âSongs in the Key of Life Tour 2014â at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, in Philadelphia. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)
Stevie Wonder performs in concert during his âSongs in the Key of Life Tour 2014â at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, in Philadelphia. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)

Throughout the course of his career Stevie Wonder has been to known to leverage his influence as an award-winning musician to help instill change in America. From helping to establish Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday as a national holiday to boycotting the state of Florida in response to 2013’s George Zimmerman verdict, Wonder has managed to stay on top of hot button issues.

And earlier this week, while visiting the White House where he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom award, the 64-year-old shared his thoughts on the ongoing unrest taking place in Ferguson, Missouri.

"Listen, everyone has to be accountable for the guns that they carry, whether it be the citizens or the law," Wonder said to HuffPost White House and Congressional reporter, Jennifer Bendery. "I think that we have to be more responsible for the people that we hire for those jobs. Because remember, their responsibility is to serve and protect, not to kill and get off."

Wonder’s comments regarding justice in the country are also similar to his stance on Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law.

“The truth is that -- for those of you who’ve lost in the battle for justice, wherever that fits in any part of the world -- we can’t bring them back,” he said last year during a performance in Quebec City. “What we can do is we can let our voices be heard. And we can vote in our various countries throughout the world for change and equality for everybody. That’s what I know we can do."

Stevie Wonder joins a growing list of notable public figures who are offering their thoughts on Ferguson. Check out our roundup of reactions here.

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