Johnny Depp Grew Up with Thompson .45

This week the movie Public Enemies opens starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger. His interpretation of the character of Dillinger should be interesting considering that he is one of the few top male Hollywood actors who hasn’t made a slew of bullet spraying pictures. And unlike the Hollywood extremists who support draconian firearms control while making billions from movies that glorify gun violence; Depp actually grew up learning how to handle a WWII vintage Thompson submachine gun.

Depp told the Chicago Tribune that the Thompson belonged to a relative and that his father taught him early on how to handle himself around firearms.

“I butted it up against the tree because it tends to ride up on you,” Depp told the newspaper, adding that his father had helped him keep the weapon level from the time he was only 5 or 6 years old.

The gangster area Tommy gun, which has a large capacity drum instead of a 20 round clip, is a mainstay in mob stories from the 1920’s and 1930’s. Nothing says mobster style like Thompson. But it begs the question, why do so many of our celebrities decry firearm ownership while making money from movies that tells the viewer guns are fun and necessary.

 If Hollywood wants to stop being hypocritical, it needs to stop using firearms in all future pictures. And I would like to start a group that electronically removes guns from all past movies. Why can’t Depp holdup banks with a large gourd that fires incapacitating but non-lethal seeds. John Wayne can outdraw the bad guy with a banana that causes his opponent to slip on the peel. Movies would not only lose the violence but also advocate for a healthy vegan lifestyle. What would Buddha do?