Jesse Hughes the frontman of American rock band Eagles Of Death Metal, who were playing at The Bataclan in Paris the night terrorists massacred 90 people on November 13th of last year, has said that "until nobody has guns, everybody has to have them."
Hughes, a devout Christian, has long been an advocate of the possession of guns. In a tearful interview with French TV channel iTele yesterday, ahead of his performance at the capital's Olympia theatre tonight, he explained why he believes the attacks wouldn’t have happened had the audience been armed.
“Did your French gun control stop a single fucking person from dying at the Bataclan? And if anyone can answer yes, I’d like to hear it, because I don’t think so. I think the only thing that stopped it was some of the bravest men that I’ve ever seen in my life charging head-first into the face of death with their firearms. I know people will disagree with me, but it just seems like God made men and women, and that night guns made them equal,” he said. “And I hate it that it’s that way. I think the only way that my mind has been changed is that maybe that until nobody has guns everybody has to have them.”
Ahead of the emotionally charged performance this evening, where soldiers, armed police and psychologists will be on hand to support traumatised fans, Hughes told iTélé that he felt he had “a sacred responsibility to finish this show”.
Hughes spoke to Sweden’s TV4 on Sunday and recalled some the events of the evening when three ISIS terrorists stormed the building and opened fire, only just managing to escape himself. On hearing gunfire open on "a very last note of the song, like almost a diabolical synchronicity,” Hughes felt he knew “exactly what was going on.” After rushing backstage to find his partner, Tuesday, he “opened up a hallway and when I went inside the hallway there was a dude at the end of it holding a gun." Hughes said the gunman fired: "I thought I was dead, I just waited for the shots to hit me.”
Almost halted by emotion Hughes went on to recall the “beautiful” scenes that unfurled. “I know this sounds terrible, but... I didn’t see anyone do anything cowardly. I just saw people doing some of the most beautiful things that a person could do, and for lack of a better word to describe it, my friends died very beautifully. They died very well, with great courage.”
He finished speaking to iTELE telling them that everyday is a trauma. "I haven't had any nightmares and I've slept fine," he said, "but when I'm awake is when I see things that are nightmares."
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