NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A New Orleans trumpeter is offering kids trumpets in exchange for guns.
Shamarr Allen tells news agencies that he has a 9-year-old son and started the project last week, the day after a 9-year-old boy was shot and killed.
He says the trumpet changed his life when he was 12 or 13 and started playing for tips in the French Quarter — and he wants to give other kids a chance.
An online fundraiser, that had a goal of raising $6,500, raised more than $9,000 in just four days.
According to the fundraiser, The Trumpet is My Weapon Gun Exchange Program is raising money to purchase trumpets, which go for about $250 each.
Allen says several musicians have agreed to offer free virtual lessons to kids who get the trumpets.
