Brad Pitt says he's been a gun owner since he was in kindergarten

(Image credit: Facebook/Mr. and Mrs. Smith)

last updated 8 January 2015

Brad Pitt said in an interview with Radio Times that he inherited his grandfather's shotgun when he was six, and now, the 50-year-old father of six says he doesn't feel safe for his family unless there is a gun in his home.

"There's a rite of passage where I grew up of inheriting your ancestors' weapons," said the actor, who was born in Oklahoma and raised in Missouri. "The positive is that my father instilled in me a profound and deep respect for the weapon."

This is not the first time the actor has spoken out in favor of guns. In a 2012 interview with the Daily Mail, Pitt said, "America is a country founded on guns. It's in our DNA. I feel better having a gun."