Rapper Arrested for Posting Lyrics Threatening a Mass Shooting
(Alachua County Sherriff's Office via AP)
Rapper Arrested for Posting Lyrics Threatening a Mass Shooting
Christopher McCallum, a Florida rapper, was arrested after threatening a mass shooting after song lyrics posted on Facebook say he will “catch you at a Gator game and shoot the whole campus up.” (Alachua County Sherriff’s Office via AP)

Only two weeks after the Parkland shooting last year, Florida governor Rick Scott signed a bill into law that makes it a crime to threaten a mass shooting.

Any person who writes or composes and also sends or procures the sending of any letter, inscribed communication, or electronic communication, whether such letter or communication be signed or anonymous, to any person, containing a threat to kill or to do bodily injury to the person to whom such letter or communication is sent, or a threat to kill or do bodily injury to any member of the family of the person to whom such letter or communication is sent, or any person who makes, posts, or transmits a threat in a writing or other record, including an electronic record, to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, in any manner that would allow another person to view the threat, commits a felony of the second degree . . .

That’s the law under which Chistopher McCallum was charged when he published rap lyrics online that threatened another rapper. Here’s the AP’s report . . .

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida rapper has been arrested on a charge of threatening a mass shooting after allegedly posting song lyrics on Facebook that vowed to “catch you at a Gator game and shoot the whole campus up.”

Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Christopher Maurice McCallum, 26, on Tuesday. His case mirrors the U.S. Supreme Court free speech appeal of Pennsylvania rapper Jamal Knox, aka Mayhem Mal, who’s accused of making terrorist threats against two police officers.

The lyrics stem from a feud between McCallum and another rapper. The rap McCallum allegedly posted on March 22 also appeared to threaten violence during a concert the next night at a Gainesville nightclub.

“Rap is a heavily stigmatized genre of music,” Clay Calvert, a First Amendment expert on the faculty of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications told the Gainesville Sun. “It’s not unusual for rap to find itself in the crosshairs of prosecution.”

Calvert said the Supreme Court has ruled “true threats” are not protected speech, but hasn’t made clear whether the threat must be a real intention of the person who speaks it, whether it’s enough that a reasonable person believes it, or whether it’s both.

Under Florida statutes, it is a felony to threaten to kill or injure someone, as is writing or composing something that indicates the person will conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism. Florida law changed after a mass shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, 2018.

“I haven’t listened to the entire song. My understanding is it was very specific as to locations — and concurrent with an upcoming concert,” said Sheriff’s Lt. Brett Rhodenizer. “When the court process continues … and if ultimately this is not a level of proof where he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, that’s the way the system is supposed to work. But is it probable cause to make an arrest in the interest of public safety? I think so.”

The Supreme Court is scheduled to take up the Pennsylvania case later this month. Knox was found guilty in a nonjury trial and a state appeals court upheld the conviction, ruling the song crossed a line called the “true threat doctrine,” which is not protected by the First Amendment.

Jail records don’t list a lawyer for McCallum.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

43 COMMENTS

    • “He’s an artist. Just like me.”

      Remember when Garrett Morris sang this on SNL? :

      “I’m gonna get me a shotgun and kill all the whities I see,
      I’m gonna get me a shotgun and kill all the whities I see.
      When I kill all the whities I see, then whitey he won’t bother me,
      I’m gonna get me a shotgun and kill all the whities I see.
      Then I’ll get a white woman who’s wearing a navy blue sweater…”

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF9HyOMV5h0

    • “Rap is a heavily stigmatized genre of music,” Clay Calvert, a First Amendment expert on the faculty of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications.

      I don’t know about “stigmatized, I’m just not overly impressed with the whole genre.

  3. “True threat doctrine, which is not protected by the first amendment.”

    Good thing that’s not a slippery slope.

    • The “True Threat” doctrine is one of the longstanding, historical exceptions to 1st Amendment protections. So far, there’s been considerable traction on that particular slope.

  5. Oh, that’s nice. Take a snippet of this clown’s music to try and build a case around it. I’m glad to know that the police in Florida are making sure to try and stamp out this ‘music’ they think is a legit threat. Hey they needed to focus on this instead of, you know, actually checking in on people who have actual reports of physical acts of violence. But why do that when you can just troll Facebook?

    But then again… let’s all remember that that kid in Parkland that actually show up his school was openly making threats of committing a mass shooter on his YouTube account UNDER HIS OWN LEGAL NAME and no one bothered to even look into him.

    • Yup. Rappers never go thru with there threats. In fact rappers are the least likely musician to be shot out of all musicians. even when you include childrens music.

      clearly there is no threat of any violence or possible collateral damage at a public venue.

      • Just because some of those a-holes do commit crimes doesn’t mean they all do. Especially when that ‘threat’ is little more than a part of some guy’s rap lyrics and not a part of some legitimate threat of violence. Much in the same way where someone sharing a meme of ‘loosing a gun in a boating accident’ isn’t a legitimate threat of concealing contraband it’s from the police.

      • Later on 2 Live did a show in NYC. They had just gotten done with the obscenity case and knew it was going to be a media frenzy when they showed up.

        So they timed their arrival to coincide with the evening news and when the media shoved all those cameras in the groups faces one of them, Luther Campbell I believe, held up either a Penthouse or a Hustler magazine open to the centerfold.

        Just like that, titties on live TV all over NYC. The camera guys freaked out so bad some of them just dropped their cameras to get that nudie book off the live broadcast.

        That’s what got Killer Mike into free speech and the 2A.

        Fucking classic.

    • Appreciate you making feel old.

      However, it is surprising to me based on the normal comments, that anyone that frequents this blog would have any idea as to 2LC is.

      • Why? Shooters come from all walks of life.
        I certainly know who 2LC was and what they did, along with assorted punk rock publicity stunts, GWAR, and the Boston Mooninite panic. I’m a big fan of all sorts of things that challenge “decency” in the name of free speech, or advertising, or whatever. I’m even in support of those idiots who do things like walk into time square and poop on a picture of religious figures. They’re dumb, but they’re free to be dumb.

  7. This might go to SCOTUS but you don’t have to take “snippet” from the “music”, merely composing and airing it broke the Florida law.

  10. More distraction. if both of these musicians jumped from the top of a tall building, which would hit the ground first? Who cares. We are in it so deep that the MSM is using non-stories to distract the population from becoming aware of how close to edge we really are. All sides have pumped up their fringe followers and terrified their respective bases into sheer catatonic hopelessness. Forermerly respected government agencies may or may not have conspired to rig the last presidential election, maybe, or not… but, what if…look here… Neanderthals may or may not…unproven and unprovable theories about events in the distant past are right there next to… whatever advances the narrative that day. Red flags are bad…duh? There are multiple cyber attacks on all parts of our infrastructure every single day. Do they have to hack in and do some type of computer “black magic”? No, they just have to keep pinging the system at random until something freezes up in electronic self defense. Game over, slide your quarters back into your pocket and go home. Car won’t start? Must be some of that there EMP stuff. I’ll just switch on the cable and see…hey, why can’t I get anything on the TV, or the radio…I think the internet is down…I better call somebody …dang phone won’t work…what do you mean we don’t have a landline anymore?..but I tell you that there 6.5 Creedmore would have been just the thing against…(fill in the extinct animal of your choice). The United States of America, done in by it’s own…(fill in the blank with your favorite disaster), in your heart, you know he’s…he’s not there any more…help. Really, not kidding, game over. -30-

  11. Legally, what if the rapper wrote and performed the song the day *before* the law came into effect?

    What if a different person, not the author of the song, performed it *after* the law came into effect?

    Arrests in both cases?

    • The first one is pre-ban and should be grandfathered.
      The second one is ok if it was transferred through a federal speech license dealer.

  13. “I like to drive in mah truck,
    …Auburn sucks.”

    That there’s a rap. Autotune that sumbitch & get it on the radio.

  14. This is how we lose our freedom. Little bits at a time. I despise rap. But value my rights and freedom as much as I value others rights and freedoms. Next it will be against the law to communicate dislike of a political party. Or distrust of a president. We can stand together. Or let complacency take root until we are enslaved. This is not the land of the free, home of the brave.

  15. Does this mean they will be hauling Judas Priest back into court again? For threatening to RAM IT DOWN?

  17. While I disagree with the things many people say. I WILL fight to the Death to Preserve their Right to say them. FREE Speech must be exactly that. Once someone gets to decide what other say. Right or Wrong. It is No Longer FREE speech. FREE Speech MUST Mean Every FUCKING WORD.

  18. No Constitutional Right is unlimited and none were ever meant to be. Most all Industrialized Countries draw a red line in the sand when people post threats, or post racist hatred that could and eventually will lead to attacks on other races, religions or even political beliefs. Currently very dangerous physical threats from both sides of the political battle lines show how fast we have disintegrated as a civilized society since the last election. The quickest way to destroy a country is to encourage such outrageous behavior and racial hatreds for political gain which leads to chaos, death and destruction.

    I may not agree with certain people or political parties but any American that doe not honor the rights of all its citizens is no American at all. It trashes everything America was established for and should still stand for. I have no wish to see an era recreated that mimics 1930’s Europe where all the European countries let hate speech get out of hand and ended up causing the deaths of millions of people and in the end led to the self destruction of most of their own countries. Too many European Countries shared in the guilt and tried to cover it all up after the war was over and the cover up is still going on today as Poland was in the news recently denying that they were not complicit in some of the atrocities of WWII. France has long denied it as well.

    Yes free speech is necessary for a free people but not when it goes over board and is used to cause attacks and deaths of innocent people over politics, race, religion or creed. To say otherwise is for History to repeat itself in the worst possible way. The subject of History is perhaps the worst taught subject and the least understood by the average American who has not gone on to higher education. And we put ourselves at great peril because of this. The last election proved how little the average American knows about world History and especially even their own. To say we all are not standing on the edge of a great abyss is to ignore the divisions which now separates us all.

    I agree with the new law but alas I fear it will be just another law not enforced as well as it should be. When people promote violence they cease to be civilized and they become a danger to us all and to the country.

  19. Here is some food for thought. Suppose the Second Amendment had been crystal clear and written thus “The Right of All the people to own arms shall not be infringed”. Would that have been an unlimited right and declared such by the courts. If so then anyone could then make and or own poison gas, atomic bombs, artillery or biological warfare germs. I think one can see the courts would have declared that the Constitutional Right of the Second Amendment is not unlimited. The same is true of free Speech when it harms innocent people.

    • What’s stopping people from makng those now? A law? Oh yea, criminals follow laws like those.

      • If we did not have laws against making atomic bombs too many people would not only have them but the law of averages dictates they already would have used them.

  22. The various governments of Florida continue to amaze with their elite levels of buffoonery.

  23. Don’t worry. His jewish lawyer will get him out of this. Nothing to see here, goyim.

Comments are closed.