Actor Liam Neeson is no fan of the Second Amendment despite the content of many of his films.
In the past decade or so, Neeson has arguably rebooted his career by starring in movies, such as the Taken franchise, that prominently feature lots of gunplay and hand-to-hand combat. Despite his action hero screen persona (and meal ticket), he believes that the right of individuals to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution is a “problem” and gun control is the solution.
Neeson, 62, became an American citizen five years ago and lives in New York City.
In an interview with The Independent of London, a “terrified” Neeson expressed strong support for a handgun ban.
“I am totally for gun control in the US. 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? 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.”
Added Neeson: “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.”
You may recall that in the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting rampage in Newtown, Conn., a bunch of Hollywood celebrities who made a fortune from movies and TV shows that portrayed lots of gun violence launched a gun control campaign called “demand a plan to end gun violence.”
In an unrelated issue in which the actor arguably took the politically incorrect position, Liam Neeson publicly opposed the potential ban of horse-drawn carriages in Manhattan’s Central Park.
Although consistent with what many A-listers have already expressed, the Truth Revolt website declares that Neeson’s views could have an impact at the box office from fans who aren’t exactly “taken” with his gun control advocacy. “What Neeson fails to realize is that a large portion of his audience goes to see his action packed movies because of exactly that — action. Alienating the pro-gun crowd of America with anti-gun views, especially when you are someone who creates gun-heavy films, will be detrimental.”
Commenting on the Liam Neeson gun control remarks, the GunsSaveLives website added that “Just another Hollywood hypocrite I guess. Happy to make tens of millions on screen with a gun in his hands but then advocates for disarming normal folks.”
[Image via 20th century fox]
