Jim Carrey Fires Back At Gun Crowd Critics With Op-Ed

Actor Jim Carrey’s anti-gun music video “Cold Dead Hand” has inspired quite a bit of controversy since its debut on Funny or Die last week. Though he is not without his supporters, Carrey has been fighting critics on his Twitter account almost constantly, and decided to answer them once and for all with a lengthy op-ed at The Huffington Post.

The post is titled “I Never Wanted to Take Your Guns Away,” and answers several of the most direct criticisms pointed at him, particularly from Fox News hosts and commentators (though he doesn’t single out anyone by name).

One of the biggest criticisms against Carrey is that as a Canadian, he shouldn’t have a say in American politics. In response, he says he is a naturalized American citizen and part of the entertainment culture for 30 years.

“These horrific events are also an invitation for us to become more civilized and to deal with our addiction and entitlement to violence. Not to shut our eyes and ears and scream at those with a different opinion than ours to ‘f*** off and go back to Canada,’ ” Carrey writes. “I care deeply about our future and I feel it’s my duty as a citizen to do everything in my power to make this a better place.”

Last week, Ann Coulter pointed out that Carrey employs armed bodyguards during a visit to Sean Hannity’s Fox News program. Though this is cited as an example of hypocrisy, Carrey replied that no one is asking Americans to give up the right to bear arms.

“It’s just the type of arms, the easy access and the means with which to cause massive devastation to good and innocent people that I hope we can limit,” Carrey says, while pointing out that his armed employees do not carry large capacity magazines.

Then there’s the “oh, he’s just an actor” criticism espoused by Greg Gutfeld. To that, Carrey says:

“And to the bullies who will try to marginalize and discredit me by saying, “Shut up, you’re just an actor,” while they brag about what a great president the ACTOR Ronald Reagan was, who threaten me with the demise of my acting career and much worse, I say SO BE IT! How shallow do they think I am? I would trade my money, my fame, my reputation and legacy if there were the slightest chance of preventing the anguish of another Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora, or Sandy Hook Elementary School. I ask you, truly, what manner of human being would not?”

What do you think? Is Jim Carrey right to fight his critics, or does he protest too much? Here’s some of the criticism he’s answering:

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[Image via: Noemi Nuñez, Wikimedia Commons]