T.I. has lent his support to an anti-gun documentary which sees him visiting a New York hospital to talk to victims of violence.

The hip-hop star, who was arrested on multiple weapon possession charges last year, attended the first screening of the short film, titled Walking With Guns, in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday night.

And T.I. - real name Clifford Harris Jr. - took the opportunity to explain his own brush with the law and revealed the devastating effect of the 2006 shooting of his close friend, Philant Johnson.

“He told the audience, "Hindsight is always 20, 20. I think where I went wrong was, I saw all of the crimes being committed over the summer.

“All of the guys from New Orleans were coming through the city and having their way with certain people. In addition to that, I had the experience of (Philant Johnson) dying in 2006, and no arrests were made until four months ago.

“No rapper has ever gotten killed and the crime has been solved. I can't excuse my actions. All I can do is try to explain them."

T.I. is facing a one-year prison sentence and 1,000 hours of community service after pleading guilty to illegal possession of three machine guns and two silencers following his 2007 arrest.