"To all the youth in New Orleans, bring me a gun and I'll give you a trumpet, no questions asked." This was the post that New Orleans trumpeter Shamarr Allen posted on social media to invite kids to give him their weapons in exchange for a trumpet. Allen grew up in a difficult neighborhood, and the trumpet offered a world of possibilities to him. Having a few unused trumpets at home, he thought this was an opportunity to reach out and show kids they have other opportunities. After exchanging the four trumpets he owned, he started a fundraiser to be able to get more trumpets and keep the goodwill flowing. Allen hands the guns in to the police, who've agreed to receive them without asking for details; they just want the guns off the streets. "I wanted to build a relationship and trust with the kids so that they wouldn't have to worry about getting in any trouble," Allen told NPR. "These kids are trying and wanting to do other things."

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