John Voight blamed violence and mental health on a mass shooting like the one at a Walton, Texas elementary school that killed 19 students and two teachers on Tuesday.
In a two-and-a-half-minute video posted on his social media, the actor said that “there must be a proper qualification to own a firearm” and added that the country “must not allow mental illness to deprive us of the right to to bear arms.”
With the message “My soul weeps for all the lost”, Voight began by saying, “We must do something with these horrors that are before innocent creatures, people who have lives and years of life.” .” He went on to say that they “were struck down by madness”.
He continued: “These creatures were despised and lifted innocent souls out of their embarrassment, grief and horror. It’s not left, right. Guns, not guns. This refers to brains that work. That’s mental. ”
On Friday, the same day Voight posted his message, Deputy Joaquín Castro wrote on Twitter That the FBI, which launched an investigation into various aspects of the mass shootings, “does not believe the shooter was motivated by any particular ideology.”
Authorities said the 18-year-old gunman legally purchased an AR-15 firearm known as the DDM4 rifle, and a second similar one last week after his birthday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he had no criminal or mental health history, the Associated Press reported.
My soul cries for all the lost (Part 1) pic.twitter.com/M19STgwOST
– Juan Blanco (@jonvoight) May 28, 2022
In a subsequent message, Voight defended the right to bear arms, saying that what happened was “not about able people serving the country with weapons, or even about the constitutional right to bear arms”. It is the right to use the weapon for the proper purpose to protect one’s own safety. “We must not allow mental illness to deprive us of the right to bear arms.”
The actor added that Americans now live in “a world that doesn’t regret making a mistake because we’re going to the worst position,” although he didn’t specify which lawmakers he was referring to. Voight then suggested that “there should be proper qualifications for weapons possession and proper testing”.
“They should have weapons only if they are qualified and educated,” he continued.
He concluded his message: “May God watch over everyone and bring comfort to this loss, which can never be healed, because every child was such a precious gift.”
My soul cries for all the lost (Part 2) pic.twitter.com/7kvzu6j8hu
– Juan Blanco (@jonvoight) May 28, 2022
Voight is one of the few Hollywood figures to speak out last week about the Rob Elemental mass shooting. On Thursday, Jamie Foxx spoke harshly to lawmakers and “so-called Christians who have failed to change laws to prevent mass shootings like Tuesdays.
“Little angels, my heart goes out to your families,” Fox, who grew up in Texas, wrote in an Instagram post. “I never thought I would live in a ‘Christian community’ where they let young children die indefinitely and still don’t change the laws.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Wald resident Matthew McConaughey described the US mass shooting epidemic as “an epidemic we can control, and no matter where we are, we all know we can do better.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
