When Charlton Heston died I revisited his famous encounter with Michael Moore on Bowling for Columbine. Strangely, I found myself sympathising with the old war horse. This gave me pause for thought. Have I become an old reactionary as I pass 40? Am I travelling that well-trodden path from youthful idealist to ex-liberal-mugged-by-reality conservative? Perhaps. I’m not so original as to defy all trends.

Anyways, watching this interview again made my blood boil. For those who haven’t seen it, here’s the lowdown: Moore accepts an invitation into Heston’s home, pretending to be a member of the NRA (National Rifle Association). He finds a palpably frail Heston who expects to meet a supporter. Moore produces a photo of a young schoolgirl shot dead by another child near his home town of Flint – in Michigan – shortly before Heston addressed an NRA rally in the same area. Pressed to apologise for his “insensitivity”, Heston walks out of the interview, pursued by a sanctimonious Moore holding aloft a photo of the dead girl.

I have to admit that I always liked Heston, an unusually intelligent performer and a real star in an industry that has devalued the meaning of the word. Yet poor old Chuck became a hate figure for the liberal intelligentsia in his old age, particularly for his anti-gun control stance. Most Europeans, no doubt, support the idea of gun control. People talk as if the issue were clear cut. But is it? I think not, particularly in America. Let’s examine some hypothetical situations. You’re in a remote farmstead in Texas; the nearest police station is miles away. At 2am you’re woken by intruders smashing windows. Or, worse still, your wife and daughter are left alone in the house. The intruders are armed to the hilt and, of course, always will be regardless of whether gun control legislation is passed or not. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws have them, as the old saying goes. Why shouldn’t law-abiding citizens be allowed to defend themselves? Especially in America, a place involving vast distances and inevitable underpopulated areas, it’s terrifying to be cornered in your own home in the middle of nowhere.

Imagine this scenario. You’re in England. Your son is 17. He’s been to the local pub on a Friday night. You hear shouting in the street. You open the door to find him on the ground being kicked by four or five drunken hooligans – sadly not an uncommon event in England these days. You can’t reason with them. They’re high on dope and cider, frothing at the mouth, baying for blood. Rush to your son’s aid and both of you will probably be kicked to death. A simple gunshot, on the other hand, would end the show once and for all. Probably just fired into the air.

Now, a real story. My then-72-year-old mother put the rubbish out one evening at her Algarve home in Portugal. Two youths happened to be passing by, both drunk. They asked for money. She didn’t have any, so they punched her to the ground and then kicked her in the face for good measure. Needless to say, they were English! If I’d been there I’d have cheerfully blown them away. When I tell people this they look at me as though I’m crazy. Am I the only one who thinks like this?

In Britain, a Norfolk farmer named Tony Martin was jailed for shooting and killing an intruder. His incarceration prompted an understandable national outcry. Meanwhile, the attacks continue in a society that seems to have lost its moral compass. So I have a question for supporters of gun control. You blame the likes of Heston for the deaths of people murdered in schools, purely because he supports the right to bear arms. So are you responsible for the deaths of innocent victims by depriving them of their right to defend themselves?

RIP Chuck.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/the-gangs-youve-got-to-be-a-bully-807440.html