From the Independent (UK) newspaper:
. . . “I am totally for gun control in the US,” he says. “The population of America is roughly 300 million and there are 300 million guns in this country, which is terrifying. Every day we’re seeing some kid running rampant in a school. And do you know what the gun lobby’s response to Newtown was?” he asks, referring to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which left 20 children dead in December 2012.
“The National Rifle Association’s official response was ‘If that teacher had been armed…’ It’s crazy. I’ll give Britain its dues, when they had the Dunblane massacre in Scotland, within 24 hours the gun laws were changed so you could not have a handgun.”
Born in Ballymena, County Antrim, but a resident of New York, Neeson became a US citizen five years ago in the wake of the death of his wife, Natasha Richardson, in a freak skiing accident in 2009. The actor cites the outpouring of goodwill from Americans as one of the main reasons for his decision. Part of the naturalisation process involves a test on US civics; Neeson, therefore, understands the Constitution as well as anyone. “It is the right to bear arms which is the problem. I think if the Founding Fathers knew what was happening they would be turning in their graves with embarrassment at how that law has been interpreted,” he says, in reference to the Second Amendment to the Constitution. . . .Mr. Neeson is of course wrong about what the NRA proposed. I have proposed allowing staff at school to be armed, but the NRA has wanted to have armed guards.
Great! Another actor who brandishes a gun for a living thinks us common folk shouldn't have one.
ReplyDeleteYou first, Liam. No more guns in any of your movies. Lead by example.
We'll wait.
"On screen, we rarely see Neeson without a gun in his hand..."
ReplyDeleteBut, Mr. Neeson has no problem collecting a paycheck from films where he shows illegitimate and illegal use of firearms, over and over. What a hypocrite.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh the "opinons" of the Hollywood elite. Has he seen any of his movies?
ReplyDeleteSad how he thinks it is so heroic to pass knee-jerk laws after-the-fact which won't prevent future violence anyway. This is typical Hollywood groupthink, though.
ReplyDeleteI was going to pay good money to see the next movie Mr. Neeson appears in, until I read this. Now, there is an old Usenet term I want to invoke:
ReplyDeletePLONK
This indicates that Mr. Neeson's theatrical effortrs will no longer see another dollar from me.
I am so surprised!
ReplyDelete