Rapper T.i. blames fear for the safety of his family and his own life for his arrest on illegal weapons charges last year.

T.i. - real name Clifford Harris - was arrested while allegedly attempting to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers just hours before he was set to take the stage at the U.s. Bet Hip Hop Awards last October.

The 27-year-old rapper took a plea deal in March and was sentenced to one year in prison and a minimum of 1,000 hours of community service.

He told Bet's Access Granted on Wednesday, "You can't assume everyone out there likes you, so it's easy to get caught up in paranoia."

The rapper admits his conviction has changed his outlook on life, and has now adopted an anti-weapons stance.

He adds, "I must be a man and stand up and accept responsibility. I can't talk about guns and drugs as elaborately because they're not part of my life anymore. If you think guns, drugs and violence are cool, I think you are definitely missing the point... There's nothing cool about going to jail."