Aside from this rather curt reaction Anderson was always personable and friendly. His shows are fun. I miss the brief series Legend.

Richard Dean Anderson is pretty much an antigun fanatic, from what I've read.

As far as I know, he refused to use one in any of his show's episodes, even where picking one up would have been the smart and practical thing to do under the circumstances.

-- Craig

Interesting, he did so at least once:

In one of the episodes we watched the other day, at the start of the show he rescues an Army General. He decoys the two “thugs” into the kitchen (using a bunch of pans on a block of ice which he had sitting next to a toaster oven) and drags the General who was handcuffed to the chair out the door. McGyver trips the two when they went after them and clearly pick s up the gun of one of the kidnapers and holds them at bay.

Although, latter he fails to pick up the weapon of another pursuer he renders unconscious.

Pete

Really? Didn't know that. I stand corrected.

If memory serves me correctly:

McGyver, in one episode has a flashback to an event in his childhood, in which a friend is killed by a gun McGyver or another kid was “playing” with and thus his “distain” for firearms. I believe in various episodes he does point out his dislike of firearms.

It is interesting that in SG1, RDAs use of guns and other weapons is paramount to his character and his character’s survival.


Pete

At least James Spader (Daniel Jackson in the Kurt Russell Stargate) helps maintain the gun/anti-gun balance:

James Spader target practice link

I also clearly recall him using a revolver frame, minus the cylinder, as a wrench on a large fire-hydrant type fitting.

In the pilot, he actually picks up an assault rifle he 'borrowed' from a guard and opens fire around a group of them to buy a little time to prepare a parachute. He dosen't hit anyone, though you can't tell if he's just shooting to scare (as I'd imagine the case is) or he's just a lousy shot! <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> And a favorite trick of his I've seen is to rig up guns to shoot on a delay or tripwire. First few discs alone I remember he set off a rifle for distraction, and set off a LOT of rifles to blow the tires out of a bad guy's jeep. And in one mid-first-season ep, he clobbers a killer with an M-16. The killer pulls out a knife and Mac picks up the rifle and uses it to block the stab.

I did some research and read about the flashback episode...where I read it claimed that Richard was going to do an anti-gun PSA at the end of the ep, but backed off because the NRA didn't want him to? Sounds fishy, did the NRA steal the script or something? <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />