1. Brad Pitt.
Though Pitt is one half of a Hollywood couple that consistently raises conservative ire, pro-gun types would likely be pleasantly surprised by his attitude on guns. In a 2012 interview with the Daily Mail, the actor spoke about growing up with guns as a kid in Missouri, keeping a weapon around the house now, and the notion that guns are inextricable to American identity.
2. Angelina Jolie.
Like her husband, Jolie also has discussed keeping a gun around as a way to keep her family safe. In a 2008 Daily Mail interview, Jolie said, “If anybody comes into my home and tries to hurt my kids, I’ve no problem shooting them.”
3. Steven Spielberg.
This one’s a bit of a doozy, since for many conservative types, Spielberg’s name is synonomous with “Hollywood liberal.” But a piece titled “Hollywood Liberal Gun Nuts” by Steve Sailer could have some ammosexuals reconsidering their dartboard choices. Sailer points out that Spielberg isn’t just a gun owner, he’s a man in possession of an arsenal that would make Ted Nugent proud. Quoting from Joseph McBride’s 1997 biography of Spielberg, Sailer discusses Spielberg’s love of skeet shooting. In the 1970s, Spielberg often took recreational shots with his buddy John Milius, screenwriter of Apocalypse Now and a man who in a 1975 interview with Daily Variety stated, “I just absolutely hate liberals and people who are civilized.”
4. Johnny Depp.
The man underneath all those bandanas, scarves and bracelets isn’t a collector of guns or even much of a proponent of them. Still, if the number of times this quote appears on pro-gun sites is any measure, conservatives were all too happy to learn that the actor plans to teach his kids about the art of shooting.
5. Eric Clapton.
If you know much of anything about Eric Clapton—and here, I’m talking less about the blues musician than the man behind the music (check #9 here if you don’t)—the idea that he would have guns coming out of his ears seems nothing short of fitting. A man who admittedly beat and raped his wife (he blamed years of alcohol and drug abuse for his behavior after getting clean), and who in 1976 delivered a speech so racist and xenophobic it spawned a countermovement called “Rock Against Racism” (which he has never recanted, while also continuing to voice support for one of the UK’s most notoriously racist politicians as recently as 2004 and 2007), Clapton has a long history of acting belligerently in both private and public life. In fact, if he lived in America, and we made even the tiniest effort toward gun control, a background check would likely rule Clapton out for gun ownership. (Though his millions and celebrity would probably rule him right back in.)
6. Sean Penn.
Last year, Charlize Theron convinced her then-boyfriend Sean Penn (he’s now her fiancé) to get rid of his guns, which he apparently owned in multitudes. And so in an act of love, Penn consulted with artist Jeff Koons, giving him nearly 65 guns to use in a single sculpture. At a benefit for Haiti, Penn credited his change of heart on guns to “a strong woman who happens to be from South Africa.” The allusion was obviously to Theron, whose opposition to guns is the result of her mother fatally and intentionally shooting her abusive father when she was 17.
7. Whoopi Goldberg.
During a 2012 episode of “The View,” when well-known libertarian John Stossel was the guest, Goldberg mentioned that she is a card-carrying member of the NRA. There’s never much of a shock associated with hearing Goldberg’s political affiliations—though she’s not a right-winger, she’sastonishingly retrograde on some issues—so the NRA admission belongs atop a pile of other political quirks. During the segment, following Stossel’s argument against stricter gun control laws, Goldberg announced her membership. “You packing now?” Stossel asked. “You wouldn’t want to find out,” Goldberg stated, to audience applause, for some reason.
8. Robert DeNiro.
Although DeNiro hasn’t made any pro-gun statements (in fact, in a 2012 interview, he said, “I think one thing that there should be is some regulation of guns. It’s crazy how almost anyone can get access to a gun. That itself is not so good.”), he does have a permit that allows him to carry a concealed weapon, according to the Daily News. Those licenses, according to multiple reports, are fairly difficult to obtain, and the NYPD requires that an applicant prove he or she “carries large amounts of cash, has been threatened, or needs the gun for security work.” Those who have failed to be approved accuse the NYPD of a lack of transparency around the selection process, and suggest that the rich and powerful are able to bypass the system.
9. Bruce Willis.
Though he called Mitt Romney a “disappointment” back around the 2012 general election, Bruce Willis has pretty consistently supported Republican candidates for president over the past few decades. It’s a fact that makes his stance on guns only slightly less surprising than some of the more “liberal” celebs who appear on this list. In 2000, speaking to USA Weekend about his own gun ownership, Willis trotted out two of the most oft-repeated lines of gun enthusiasts: “Everyone has a right to bear arms. If you take guns away from legal gun owners, then the only people who have guns are the bad guys.”
10. James Earl Jones.
There’s a little confusion around what precisely James Earl Jones, iconic voice of both Darth Vader and CNN and one of the most accomplished and revered actors of stage and screen, has said pro-gun wise. Conservative sites often quote Jones as stating: “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.” The only problem is, Snopes can’t find an original source for the quote, which means it could just as easily be misattributed or wholesale made up—this is the Internet, after all.