Pearl Jam Frontman Comments on Those Who Don't Support Gun Control: "I Almost Wish Bad Things Upon These People"

As lead singer for the band Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder is used to being in the spotlight.  His relative fame provides Vedder a platform to voice his political opinions, but that doesn't mean his views are based on fact. 

As reported by the Huffington Post, in a recent interview with professional surfer Mark Richards, Vedder bristled when the topic of opposing gun control came up.  "The fact that we're living in a country where 90 percent of the people want further gun laws--to maybe somehow put a dent in some of this insanity that's happening--and yet there's no further legislation taking place, it's very frustrating and upsetting." 

Vedder then said, "If I didn't have music to kind of at least get some of the aggression out or take the edge off, you wouldn't want me having a gun either."

"I get so angry that I almost wish bad things upon these people," Vedder continued.  "But I don't have to because it seems like they happen anyways.  It seems like every week I'm reading about a 4-year-old either shooting their sister, their dad, their dog, their brother or themselves, because there's [expletive] guns laying around.  But I guess it's 'fun.'"

We assume Vedder's anti-gun angst is due, at least in part, to the fact that, in April, the Senate voted on, and rejected, a series of anti-gun legislative proposals.

At about the same time as the Senate vote, CNSNews.com ran an article that reported on a Gallup poll, which found that only four percent of Americans think guns and gun control are an important problem facing the country.  Rather, the poll showed that Americans are far more concerned about the economy, unemployment and the federal debt.

According to Gallup, "Few Americans mention guns or immigration as the most important problems facing the nation today, despite the current attention lawmakers in Washington are giving to these issues. The economy still dominates as the top concern, followed by jobs and dissatisfaction with the general way in which Congress and the government work." 

And a few weeks before the Gallup poll, PoliceOne.com released the results of an extensive survey of about 15,000 active and retired law enforcement officers of all ranks and from departments ranging in size from less than 25 to more than 1,000.

Those results also strongly showed that law enforcement officers do not support a gun control agenda. They do, however, strongly support the Right-to-Carry by law-abiding Americans and desire politicians to focus on keeping firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill and to reject unconstitutional gun control measures that infringe on Second Amendment rights. 

NRA supports meaningful efforts to address the problem of violent crime in America, through swift and certain prosecution of violent criminals; securing our schools; and fixing our broken mental health system.

NRA opposes, and will continue to oppose, "universal" background checks and registration schemes.  We do believe that records of those who are prohibited by law from purchasing firearms (including those whose mental health history puts them in this category) ought to be included in the federal instant check system.