Eagles of Death Metal singer: 'Until nobody has guns everybody has to have them'

The Eagles of Death Metal return to Paris Tuesday to perform for survivors of the Bataclan attack, in which 90 were killed last November when jihadists opened fire on concert-goers. In an interview before the show, the band's front man, Jesse Hughes, told French TV station iTele that while he didn't think France's strict gun laws were responsible for the attacks, he didn't believe they saved any lives, either. "Until nobody has guns everybody has to have them," Hughes said, according to AFP.

Hughes added, "I don't go anywhere in America without a gun anymore. That sucks. And I'm not paranoid. I'm not a cowboy…but I want to be prepared." Hughes, 43, is a member of the NRA and Donald Trump supporter.

The area around Paris' Olympia theater, where the concert will take place, will remain under police lockdown during the show. While some experts have warned that the concert could trigger panic in survivors, others, including Hughes, see it as a chance for recovery.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"Rock and roll for me has always been fun and I am not going to let anyone take that away from me, or my friends," Hughes said.