Well, it looks like Vince Vaughn is making a bad name for himself across the Internet. In an interview with British GQ, Vince Vaughn talks gun rights, and let's just say his passionate statements are not sitting well with many people. In addition to labeling Edward Snowden as a "hero," the actor also believes everyone should maintain the right to bear arms. If that doesn't sit well with you, then his next opinion might not either: he believes more guns will prevent school shootings. Here's a portion of what the 45-year-old said about "the American right to own a gun:"
I support people having a gun in public full stop, not just in your home. We don't have the right to bear arms because of burglars; we have the right to bear arms to resist the supreme power of a corrupt and abusive government. It's not about duck hunting; it's about the ability of the individual. It's the same reason we have freedom of speech. It's well known that the greatest defense against an intruder is the sound of a gun hammer being pulled back.
He added, "In all of our schools it is illegal to have guns on campus, so again and again these guys go and shoot up these f---ing schools because they know there are no guns there. They are monsters killing six-year-olds."
Vaughn is absolutely for guns in schools. Not only did he say that "banning guns is like banning forks in an attempt to stop making people fat," he also said that "taking away guns," similar to the confiscation of drugs and alcohol, wouldn't "rid the world of criminality."
I'm sure you can imagine that the True Detective star's comments have upset a lot of people. Here's how a few Twitter users have reacted:
Vaughn's stance on gun rights shouldn't come as a surprise, since this isn't the first time he's talked about it. For example, in a February 2015 interview with Playboy, he declared himself a Libertarian and also revealed his support for the right to bear arms, in addition to stating he too owns a gun. He said,
I believe in the right to defend yourself if need be. Hopefully you’re never in that situation, but I think you’re fairly naive to believe there will never be a cause for self-defense. But again, I believe it’s up to the individual. I don’t believe rights come in groups. You shouldn’t get more or fewer rights because of what you believe in or what nationality you were born into.
There's no doubt that gun control is a sensitive subject, not to mention one that many remain divided about, but (regardless of his personal opinions) maybe Vaughn's comments will bring more attention to an issue that continues to be an important one.
