This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Moby Takes Aim At 'Despicable' NRA, Says They'd Love To Shoot Him

Moby Takes Aim At The NRA
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 03: Moby attends The Cinema Society & OC Concept screening of 'RED' at The Museum of Modern Art on October 3, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
Getty Images
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 03: Moby attends The Cinema Society & OC Concept screening of 'RED' at The Museum of Modern Art on October 3, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

He's spoken out against Mitt Romney, the recording industry and Britney Spears, and now Moby is taking aim at the National Rifle Association (NRA).

In recent tweets, the DJ and musician called the gun lobby group "utterly despicable" plus posted a more detailed journal entry on his feelings, claiming "the NRA and the Republicans are on the wrong side of history." Moby, whose support of the Democratic Party is well known, surely did not shock his fans with this particular position, although he acknowledges there are still consequences to such outbursts.

"In the States, certainly since getting into social media, I've alienated a lot of people with my political beliefs and statements," he says. "And if I'm incredibly vocal and critical of the NRA, it's sort of a dangerous position to take — most people in the NRA have guns! And they would love nothing more than to shoot an irritating lefty like me. But honestly, I don't worry about it too much. The issue is more important to me than my own personal safety."

Since becoming an electronic music superstar in the early 1990s, Moby has attracted attention for his activism on behalf of animal rights (the vegan is a supporter of The Humane Society, PETA and others), net neutrality, and, increasingly, his politics. In 2004, after George W. Bush beat John Kerry for the U.S. presidency, Moby wrote an open letter to Canada asking if the Western and Northern U.S. states could secede from America and join their northern neighbour.

In the run-up to the 2008 election, he threatened to move to Canada should Republican candidate John McCain become president. (Instead, he got to perform at an inauguration party for President Obama.) Now, Moby is once again considering Canada as a refuge from what he calls "American stupidity" over gun violence. He's also suggesting the country could get involved in solving the problem.

"Canadians could do something," he says. "You could theoretically have incredibly draconian penalties for any American caught bringing a gun in or out of Canada. What if any American, or anyone caught, was immediately thrown in jail for 25 years?"

With Canada's ongoing, partisan, tug-of-war over its national gun registry, Moby might not want to hold his breath on that one. However, he's also a supporter of less outrageous ideas, such as limited gun control legislation. He even admits he's not opposed to individual gun ownership. ("I'm not necessarily 100 per cent anti-gun," he says.) So why take on this particular issue, and, especially, why engage the notoriously powerful NRA?

"Because the consequences of lack of gun control are so clear," he says. "That's why I see the NRA position as so untenable. Their policies lead to children being killed. It's pretty simple."

"There are so many important issues in America," he continues. "Issues with long-term consequences, short-term consequences, public health consequences, economic consequences... To me, [fighting gun control] seems the most flagrant example of American stupidity. Trying to work on global warming, that's a huge, complicated, Byzantine problem. Whereas, it seems that gun violence should be a relatively simple fix."

Also on HuffPost

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.