Marilyn Manson has defended his decision to point a fake gun into the crowd at a recent gig in San Bernardino, almost two years after a fatal mass shooting in the city.
Calling the stunt "an act of theatre", Manson insisted that he had been granted police approval to use the prop on stage.
According to TMZ, the Marilyn Manson frontman – real-name Brian Warner – said the moment was in response to "horrible" events in the United States and the country's gun laws.
"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," he explained.
"My performance was not meant to be disrespectful or show any insensitivity."
The San Bernardino Sheriff's Department confirmed to TMZ that it neither approved nor disapproved Manson's use of the prop, but 'appreciated' the band's prior warning.
In other gun-related Marilyn Manson news (yes, more of it is out there), the legendary musician recently pulled a fake gun on a reporter during an interview. For shits and giggles, it seems.
"I have not been warned that Manson will be hiding behind his hotel room door, from where he will jump out – black-clad, in full slap – pointing a gun at the back of my neck," The Guardian's Alexis Petridis wrote in a recent profile.
"Not, it transpires, a real gun, but a realistic enough replica for me to greet him with a startled bark of, 'What the f**k do you think you're doing?' rather than the more traditional 'hello'."
