Ice-T Gun Control: Defends Gun Rights In Light of Colorado Movie Shooting

By Shiryn Ghermezian

In wake of the gun shooting at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colo., that killed 12 people and injured more than a dozen others, rapper and actor Ice-T has come out stating his opposition to increased gun control legislation in the United States.

In his opinion, weapons are necessary to carry for protection from police and he said he would be happy to turn in his weapon after everyone else does, according to The Huffington Post.

"It's legal in the United States," the rapper said. "The right to bear arms is because that's the last form of defense against tyranny. Not to hunt. It's to protect yourself from the police."

Speaking with U.K.'s Channel 4 News, Ice-T said he felt there was no connection between gun laws and the James Holmes shooting - stating "if someone wanted to kill people, they don't need a gun to do it" and that the shooter would have found some other way to kill people if not with guns. Ice-T continued on to mention that stricter gun laws would have no effect on prevention of future shooting rampages such as what happened in Colorado.

ABC News nicknamed Ice-T "America's Gun-Rights Ambassador to England." Though he feels strongly about his views, other celebrities have spoken out against lax gun laws following the shooting at "The Dark Knight Rises" screening.

"Seinfeld" star Jason Alexander tweeted that he could not understand those who supported legality of a "military weapon" in the hands of those not in military positions.

The topic of gun control is making a presence now more than ever and even presidential candidates have addressed the issue. Though Mitt Romney signed bans on assault weapons, he announced that he would not pass gun control legislation if elected.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg called on President Obama and GOP challenger Romney to outline a national policy on the matter of gun violence, saying that it is time for them to stand up and say what they plan on doing to face the problem, according to The Wall Street Journal.