Controversial former youth detainee Dylan Voller has announced he will not run for a spot on the Alice Springs Town Council after all.

His withdrawal from the race caps a volatile three days for the 19-year-old, in which he announced his candidacy, and then sparked a minor scandal on social media when a photograph surfaced on Facebook of him sitting in a car with what appeared to be a gun on the passenger seat.

Now, he has confirmed to the ABC he will not run for council and has taken to social media to explain his reasons.

"I'm sad to announce I am not going to run for council as I am not ready," he posted on Friday morning.

"I want to focus on building up trust and support within the community. We do need more strong Indigenous people in power and at this time I am not ready. I am sorry.

"This is sad but a decision I have to make that will affect my future and my mental health."

'I would like to use my voice'

Sorry, this video has expired Video of Dylan Voller hooded and strapped into a restraint chair helped spark a royal commission.

Mr Voller announced on Wednesday he would seek a seat on the council, saying he hoped to use his experience of the youth justice system to help find long-term solutions to youth crime in Alice Springs and represent the whole community, including those who disparaged him.

"I'm one of the people in this community that has a voice now and I would like to use my voice to help out a lot of people who don't have a voice," he said.

"I've got a pretty good insight into that sort of stuff [youth crime and detention] so I want to be able to work with the kids and with their families and communicate with the council to be able to take their concerns up to people to listen."

At the time, Mr Voller said he did not have any policies to propose, but would consult with the community to find out what was important to them.

"I will listen to everyone, not one certain group or one certain colour or one certain age group. I'll be listening to everyone," he said.

"If we don't listen to all those different opinions there's never going to be an outcome."

Mr Voller said he had no other political aspirations.

"I don't really think politics is my thing, but this is just something I can do to help the community, I guess."

'It was a toy gun'

Dylan Voller says he was unaware he had been photographed with a fake gun. ( Supplied: Facebook )

On Thursday, the day after he announced his candidacy, Mr Voller was lambasted on social media for being photographed with what appeared to be a handgun.

Mr Voller said he did not know the replica gun was on the seat when the photo was being taken, nor did he know it had been uploaded onto Facebook.

He added he had taken the gun to the Alice Springs police station.

"It was causing a lot of drama over social media and I didn't want anyone to feel threatened or scared, so I dropped it in out of the way," he said.

"It was a toy gun, it was fake… I've just got to think a lot harder before letting someone take photos of me."

NT Police said their investigations were ongoing, but no complaints had been made.

Video of Mr Voller strapped into a chair with a spit hood over his head featured in a Four Corners episode that sparked a royal commission into conditions in Northern Territory youth detention centres.