June 06, 2013
By Dylan Polk
More often than not, gun owners are bombarded with the logical fallacy of appeal to celebrity , as movie stars, athletes and socialites take to the blogosphere to denounce the so-called evil of firearm ownership, disconnecting themselves from reality.
Despite the many airheads spouting nonsense on the Web , there are still plenty of celebrities who support the right of Americans to own and carry a firearm—some doing so themselves. Here's a look at a few celebrities licensed to carry guns.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie This Hollywood power couple lit up the silver screen in
Mr. & Mrs. Smith , but they're just as comfortable arming themselves in real life. In 2008, Jolie
told The Daily Mail she had purchased many of the actual firearms used on the set of
Tomb Raider . She added, "Brad and I are not against having a gun in the house, and we do have one. And yes, I'd be able to use it if I had to ... If anybody comes into my home and tries to hurt my kids, I've no problem shooting them."
Likewise, Pitt told The Daily Mail last September , "America is a country founded on guns. It's in our DNA. It's very strange but I feel better having a gun. I really do. I don't feel safe, I don't feel the house is completely safe, if I don't have one hidden somewhere. That's my thinking, right or wrong."
Bruce Willis Bruce Willis is well-known for packing ridiculously in the
Die Hard series. In real life, Willis is just as pro-gun as McClane, saying, "If you take guns away from legal gun owners, then the only people who would have guns would be the bad guys." Furthermore, Willis
told The Associated Press in February , "I think that you can't start to pick apart anything out of the Bill of Rights without thinking that it's all going to become undone. If you take one out or change one law, then why wouldn't they take all your rights away from you?"
(Photo: Gage Skidmore)
Chuck Norris If we're to believe what we've read, Chuck Norris doesn't need a firearm, since his fists are already Class 3 weapons. Be that as it may, the
Walker, Texas Ranger star appeared in an ad for the NRA saying, "Folks, there's only one way to protect our rights. Register to vote." In addition, Norris
wrote in a column for Newsbusters , "I want violent crimes curbed as much as anyone, but not at the expense of our Second Amendment rights — which are there to protect us. And it's double-trouble lunacy when gun bans have proved to be ineffective in reducing crime in many other countries."
Clint Eastwood From Blondie to Harry Callahan, Clint Eastwood's name is about as synonymous with guns as John Moses Browning's. Eastwood is noted for once quipping, "I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it." We couldn't have said it better.
Howard Stern It may come as a surprise, but the shock jock turned talent show judge is another high-profile gun owner named by
the (New York) Daily News .
(Photo: The Associated Press)
Ice-T These days, Tracy "Ice-T" Marrow may be more well-known for his portrayal on
Law & Order: SVU than his rap career. However, one thing has remained constant: his belief in the Second Amendment. "(The) United States is based on guns," he
told London's Channel 4 . "The right to bear arms is because that's the last form of defense against tyranny. Not to hunt. It's to protect yourself from the police." Ice went on to say he routinely carries, and he would only stop carrying "when everybody does."
James Earl Jones James Earl Jones has lent his powerful voice to some of the most memorable movie characters of all time, making him a beloved Hollywood icon. Even better, Jones is a supporter of the Second Amendment and member of the NRA. In fact, Jones has been quoted as saying, "The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise they will win and the decent people will lose."
(Photo: Stuart Crawford)
Marc Anthony Another unlikely gun owner, Latin American singer Marc Anthony was another celebrity gun owner named by
the (New York) Daily News , which reported Anthony obtained a special permit to carry a loaded weapon.
(Photo: The Associated Press)
Miranda Lambert Country singer Miranda Lambert has never made any bones about who she is — a deer-hunting country girl — but Lambert recently
revealed to Self magazine that she's also packing. "I carry a weapon. I got a death threat a few years ago and was really scared. But I don't want bodyguards. I am my own security."
R. Lee Ermey Well-known for hilariously berating young Leathernecks in
Full Metal Jacket , Gunnery Sgt. Ronald Lee Ermey — aka R. Lee Ermey, aka "The Gunny" — has since lent his talents to
numerous NRA-ILA ads and is also a huge
Glock fan, carrying a Glock 10mm wherever he can. Semper fi, Gunny.
Randy Couture He's one of the greatest MMA fighters in history, and he's just as lethal outside the octagon. Randy Couture — who also starred in
The Expendables series alongside other pro-gun celebs like Bruce Willis and Chuck Norris —
told our sister magazine, Guns & Ammo , "As a nation, the things that we stand for are still going to be challenged continually, and are being challenged continually now. To take that opportunity to pass that on to my kids and to teach my kids how to use a weapon appropriately and be able to go out, first of all, and be able to hunt, eliminate the middle man and seek game to fill their freezer, and if need be, to protect ourselves if we have to. I think it's wrong for others to impose their wishes and what they believe on everyone."
(Photo: Gage Skidmore)
Robert De Niro Famous for his tough guy roles in movies like
Taxi Driver and
Goodfellas , Robert De Niro was also identified by
the (New York) Daily News as having a license to carry.
(Photo: Angela George)
Ted Nugent We could easily just post a picture of the Nuge and move on without comment. From lobbying for the NRA to carrying an AR-15 onstage, the "Wango Tango" rocker has never minced words when it comes to his feelings on the Second Amendment — no matter how much trouble they've gotten him into with the press. Uncle Ted even has
his own line of ammunition — if that doesn't scream "gun guy," we don't know what does.
Tom Selleck From
Magnum, P.I. to
Quigley Down Under , Tom Selleck has played some of our favorite gun-toting characters. It only stands to reason Selleck is on the NRA's Board of Directors, and has
frequently defended gun rights when attacked by anti-gun nuts like Rosie O'Donnell.
(Photo: The Associated Press)
