Vince Vaughn has a plan to reduce gun violence in the U.S. – putting more guns in citizens' hands.
The actor, who stars in the second season of True Detective this summer, has been vocal in the past about his libertarian views. He outlined his pro-gun stance in an interview with GQ's U.K edition:
"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. All these gun shootings that have gone down in America since 1950, only one or maybe two have happened in non-gun-free zones. Take mass shootings. They've only happened in places that don't allow guns. These people are sick in the head and are going to kill innocent people. They are looking to slaughter defenseless human beings. They do not want confrontation.
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 also weighed in on whether guns should be allowed in schools, claiming that the schools politicians' children attend likely have armed defenses, and that the rest of America's children should have the same protections.
"Banning guns is like banning forks in an attempt to stop making people fat," he said. "Taking away guns, taking away drugs, the booze, it won't rid the world of criminality."
In addition to gun rights, Vaughn also spoke about Edward Snowden, claiming the NSA leaker is a hero, not a traitor.
"He gave information to the American people," he said. "Snowden didn't take information for money or dogmas. Governments claim to write endless laws to protect us, a law for this, a law for that, but are they working? I don't think so. The consequences are that there is a staggering loss of freedom for the individual."
In a February interview with Playboy, Vaughn expanded on his political views, including speaking about his own gun ownership. "I believe in the right to defend yourself if need be," he said. "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."
Vaughn is also a longtime Ron Paul supporter, and publicly endorsed the candidate's 2012 presidential run.
