Sara Kauss/Getty ImagesVince Vaughn is getting candid about gun control.
Ahead of the release of the 45-year-old actor's cover for the July issue of British GQ, the publication has unveiled a preview of the True Detective star's accompanying interview—and he's already making headlines just days before the mag hits newsstands.
Asked to share his thoughts on the American public's right to own a gun, Vaughn expressed his unwavering support for the second amendment and argued that Americans should be able to bear arms both in their homes and in public.
"I support people having a gun in public full stop, not just in your home," he said. "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," he continued. "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."
He added that "mass shootings" have "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--king schools because they know there are no guns there. They are monsters killing six-year-olds."
Vaughn was then asked whether he believes guns should be allowed in schools, at which point he replied with an emphatic yes.
"Of course. You think the politicians that run my country and your country don't have guns in the schools their kids go to? They do," he said. "And we should be allowed the same rights. Banning guns is like banning forks in an attempt to stop making people fat. Taking away guns, taking away drugs, the booze, it won't rid the world of criminality."
In addition to his remarks on gun control, the 45-year-old star shared his opinion on the American government and called Edward Snowden, the former CIA agent and NSA whistleblower who leaked classified documents to the media, a "hero."
"I like what he did," Vaughn said. "My idea of treason is that you sell secrets to the enemy. He gave information to the American people. 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. I look at the drug wars and they are absolutely f--king ridiculous. There is a black market and the prisons are overcrowded and it's not preventing drug use. There's a corruption that goes all the way to the top."
While Vaughn's remarks quickly caused the actor to trend on Twitter, Piers Morgan expressed his distaste for the Wedding Crashers star's controversial opinion.
I truly despair for America's future if public figures like Vince Vaughn represent the popular view on guns. Just insane.
? Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 1, 2015What do you think of Vaughn's interview with British GQ? Tell us in the comments.
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