Duff McKagan Calls for Ban on Gun Ownership in Wake of Seattle Massacre

Former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan has moved on from the band’s recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drama and is instead offering strong opinions on gun control in the wake of the recent shooting at a cafe in his hometown of Seattle, which left six dead.

With the latest edition of his frequently thought-provoking Seattle Weekly column, McKagan’s not getting sucked into the “Is he or isn’t he” vortex of the Scott Weiland-fronting-Velvet-Revolver nonsense either. He’s got bigger fish to fry; put simply, Duff doesn’t “get” gun ownership when people are shooting each other in coffeehouses and schools. “If there is still some sort of argument in favor of gun ownership, I’d like to hear about it now. I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.”

In his column, Duff points the finger at the Mayor, at the NRA (his curt question to them: “Really?”). He promotes unity and remembering who you are and suggests stricter penalties for those who commit acts of violence with a gun. He also encourages his Seattle neighbors not to live in fear, not to lose faith and not to alter their lives in the wake of a tragedy: “Let’s not let this darkness misinform us of who we are.”

Although sure to provoke debate and disagreement, it’s a poignant, well-written article. Seattle’s lucky to have Duff imparting such words of perspective and support. We send our best out to the victims of this tragedy and to their families, as well.