As an American who writes for an Australian site it’s rare that a story hits the sweet spot between the two countries. Leave it to Matt Damon to plop himself right in that spot.
Over the weekend, while promoting his new film, Jason Bourne, actor Matt Damon told The Sydney Morning Herald he wishes America would follow Australia’s lead and implement strict gun control laws.
Matt Damon's ponytail
“You guys did it here in one fell swoop and I wish that could happen in my country, but it’s such a personal issue for people that we cannot talk about it sensibly. We just can’t,” he said.
“People get so emotional that even when you make a suggestion about not selling AK-47s to people on terror watch lists, that’s a non-starter. I don’t know what needs to happen.”
Damon, a father of four, pointed out that mass shootings haven’t had an effect on American legislators. “Obviously mass shootings aren’t going to do it,” he said. “There have been so many of them at this point. Sandy Hook, when those children were murdered, if that didn’t do it, you know, I just don’t know. Maybe we just need to evolve further before we can have that conversation, I don’t know.”
Matt Damon’s brilliant MIT Commencement speech. Post continues below.
The 45-year-old Oscar winner went on to praise Australia’s nationwide gun reform for its roll in reducing the number of mass shootings in the last 20 years. “It’s wonderful what Australia did because you guys haven’t had a mass shooting since you went, ‘No, we’re going to be sensible about this.’ And nobody’s rights have been infringed, you guys are fine,” he said. “I wish we could be sensible like that but I don’t think that’s going to happen in my lifetime.”
Hopefully Damon’s wordswill make more American’s look to Australia as an example. Because something needs to change, and it needs to change soon.
Top Comments
America doesn't have a gun control problem, they have a people problem...
I agree that the amount of guns is not a good predictor of the amount of deaths, but you could certainly argue that they don't know how to play with them nicely so they should be taken away.
What a ridiculous statement. We have the same access to media that Americans do and still no mass shootings.