Marilyn Manson Responds To Criticism After Aiming Prop Gun At Crowd During US Gig

Marilyn Manson has issued a statement after being slammed for aiming a fake gun at his audience during a US gig on Sunday night, in the wake of a mass shooting in Texas where 26 people were killed. 

As TMZ reports, the 48-year-old frontman, performing in a wheelchair while recovering from a stage injury in September, aimed a fake semi-automatic weapon at the crowd at the Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino during his song, WE KNOW WHERE YOU FUCKING LIVE, with a microphone attached to the end of the prop.

Manson was slammed for the stunt, as well given the fact that a mass shooting also occurred in San Bernardino in 2015. 

In a statement given to Variety, Manson called it "an act of theater in an attempt to make a statement".

"In an era where mass shootings have become a nearly daily occurrence, this was an act of theater in an attempt to make a statement about how easily accessible semi-automatic weapons are and how seeing them has become normalized," the statement reads.

"My art has always been a reaction to popular culture and my way to make people think about the horrible things that happen in this world.

"My performance was not meant to be disrespectful or show any insensitivity. The prop microphone I used on stage was handed to me with the approval of a police officer.

"My empathy goes out to anyone who has been affected by the irresponsible and reprehensible misuse of REAL guns."

Watch footage of the stunt below.