Eagles of Death Metal’s Jesse Hughes: ‘Maybe Until Nobody Has Guns, Everybody Has to Have Them’

Eagles of Death Metal have begun their European tour and they've returned to France this week to perform at Paris' Olympia Theatre. The return to Paris is particularly emotional for Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes, still deeply affected by last fall's terrorist attack during their show at Le Bataclan in Paris. In a new interview with France's iTELE, Hughes shares his thoughts on gun control and the effect it might have had on that night.

Speaking to the interviewer, Hughes stated, “Gun control kind of doesn’t have anything to do with it, but if you want to bring it up I’ll ask you: Did your French gun control stop a single f--king 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.”

He continued, while fighting back tears, "I know people will disagree with me, but it just seems like God made men and women, and that night, guns made them equal. I think the only way that my mind has been changed is that maybe until nobody has guns everybody has to have them. Because I don’t ever want to see anything like this ever happen again and I want everyone to have the best chance to live and I saw people die that maybe could have lived.”

“I wish I knew for sure if they could have had a better chance because there were some real angels, real wonderful people in that show that aren’t alive today and I really wish they were,” concluded the singer.

Eagles of Death Metal are set to take the stage tonight at the Olympia before continuing the rest of their European tour. The group is hoping to return to Paris to play at Le Bataclan once the venue reopens.