Tim McGraw's Sandy Hook Concert Hits Anti-Gun Sour Note !

By Nick Sanchez

Tim McGraw's opening act for the July 17 Sandy Hook Promise benefit concert, Billy Currington, dropped the gig on Thursday while McGraw himself tried to clarify that he and the group to benefit from the show aren't anti-gun.

"Let me be clear regarding the concert for Sandy Hook given much of the erroneous reporting thus far," the singer wrote in a statement responding to his detractors, Fox News reported.

"As a gun owner, I support gun ownership. I also believe that with gun ownership comes the responsibility of education and safety — most certainly when it relates to what we value most, our children. I can’t imagine anyone who disagrees with that."

McGraw’s fiddle player, Dean Brown, was close with a father who's 7-year-old boy was killed in the Sandy Hook shootings. 

 

"Through a personal connection, I saw first-hand how the Sandy Hook tragedy affected families and I felt their pain," McGraw said in reference to Brown and his friend. "The concert is meant to do something good for a community that is recovering."

McGraw's explanation apparently didn't convince Billy Currington, who took to Facebook to announce that he'd be dropping out of the July 17 show in Connecticut.

"I’ve never been one to take on controversial issues — I’m a singer. I do feel strongly about honoring and supporting the Sandy Hook community and will be making a donation to a local organization," Currington wrote. 

"I appreciate people’s freedom and passion for whatever cause they want to support, however, I am choosing to step aside from this fundraiser and will focus instead on the rest of the tour dates as I look forward to being on the road with Tim and Chase and having a blast with all of the fans."