Country music singer Jason Aldean has defended his song ‘Try That in a Small Town’ after its music video was pulled from Country Music Television (CMT) on July 17 following accusations it was ‘pro-lynching’ and promoted gun violence. After the video aired, a number of people online pointed out that the song’s lyrics seemed to be encouraging violence, with Shannon Watts, a prominent gun safety activist, writing that it is ‘an ode to a sundown town, suggesting people be beaten or shot for expressing free speech.’ In ‘Try That in a Small Town,’ the country music star sings, ‘Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that sh*t might fly in the city, good luck / Try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / You cross that line, it won’t take long / For you to find out, I recommend you don’t / Try that in a small town.’ Singer Sheryl Crow took to Twitter to write that, ‘I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence. There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.’ Aldean was performing onstage during the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting that left 60 people dead and more than 400 injured. In addition to criticizing the song's lyrics, some noted that the video was seemingly filmed filmed in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where a Black man named Henry Choate was lynched in 1927. The courthouse also played a role in the 1946 Columbia Race Riot. Aldean took to social media to defend his song amid the backlash, writing on July 18, ‘In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.’ #jasonaldean #countrymusic #gunviolence #celebs