"Act of theater": Marilyn Manson aims fake rifle at California crowd
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- Rocker Marilyn Manson is defending his decision to point what appeared to be a fake rifle at a crowd during a concert in southern California as part of his act, CBS Los Angeles reports.
Manson — who was confined to a wheelchair due to a broken leg — aimed a prop microphone at the crowd at the Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino while being rolled around on stage as he sang "We Know Where You F****** Live."
Photos and video of the stunt were posted to social media just hours after a gunman opened fire on a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Manson released a written statement defending his actions, which reads in part: "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."
Manson clarified that the prop microphone was approved by a police officer.
San Bernardino was the site of a mass shooting in December 2015, when two people opened fire on the Inland Regional Center, killing 14 and seriously injuring 22 others.