«I’m a Second Amendment guy. But I feel like [the NRA has] been a bit of a roadblock.»
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Country music star Eric Church played a show at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas last year. Two days later at that same festival, 58 people were killed and over 500 were injured after a shooter opened fire from a hotel window upon the crowd.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Church said the Vegas shooting had a major effect on him. He also partially blames the National Rifle Association (NRA) for the tragedy.
“We could have stopped the guy in Vegas,» he said. ”[…] I blame the lobbyists. And the biggest in the gun world is the NRA.»
Church is by no means anti-gun. He owns multiple firearms himself but says he isn’t, nor has he ever been, a member of the NRA.
“I’m a Second Amendment guy,» he said. «But I feel like [the NRA has] been a bit of a roadblock. I don’t care who you are — you shouldn’t have that kind of power over elected officials.”
Church showed his support for commonsense gun reform, including better background checks, a ban on bump stocks, and closing the gun show loophole.
According to Politifact, bump stocks were found on 12 of the guns discovered in the Vegas shooter’s hotel room. Bump stocks allow a semi-automatic weapon to fire faster.
Church said the rapid fire from the gunman sounded like an “army.”
“I don’t think our forefathers ever thought the right to bear arms was that,” he said.
As a country singer, many of Church’s fans are conservatives and big proponents of the Second Amendment and the NRA. But Church said he doesn’t care if he loses fans over his opinion:
@ericchurch I have mad respect for your talent and skills. But blaming @NRA for the person that committed the heinous act of violence in Vegas is just flat wrong. You just fell into Hollywood category. Socialism? Really? C’mon man!
— Scott Paisley (@TSPyea) July 26,2018
@ericchurch As for me and mine, you lost some major fans. Oh. Did the NRA also cause the Bastille fireworks vehicular terrorist attack also? Or maybe the French DMV? Eric.. don’t be stupid. #NRA
— Caleb Wilson (@225boattail) July 26,2018
Buh-bye @ericchurch You are now categorized with the Dixie Chicks. #irrelevant @NRA
— Daphne Hawk (@daphnehawk) July 26,2018
“Right’s right and wrong’s wrong,» Church stated. «I don’t understand why we have to fear a group [like the NRA]. It’s asinine. Why can’t we come together and solve one part of this? Start with the bump stocks and the gun shows. Shut a couple of these down. I do think that will matter a little bit. I think it will save some lives.”
