Hollywood star Kurt Russell is refusing to back down. The veteran actor came under fire over his conservative statement, and that’s when he pointed to the Founding Fathers to defend his views.

Kurt Russell (Credit: YouTube)

Kurt Russell believes celebrities should stay out of politics. In fact, he made that crystal clear during an interview with The New York Times. The Overboard actor, who identifies as a “hardcore libertarian,” admitted his opinion on politics varies greatly from most Hollywood celebrities and entertainers.

However, when questioned by a reporter regarding gun control, Russell bluntly stated: “If you think gun control is going to change the terrorists’ point of view, I think you’re, like, out of your mind.” That statement created a lot of heat from the media. Russell later admitted he felt “ambushed” in that interview and had “begrudgingly made comments” on gun control.

Kurt Russell starred in the 2015 film The Hateful Eight (Credit: YouTube)

In an interview with The Daily Beast, the Tango & Cash star not only doubled down on his gun control remarks but also explained how he became a libertarian. “When I was a young guy, I was finding myself not quite being able to see the things that were going on and buy into a political culture,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do, so I finally said, ‘Why don’t I go back and see what the Founding Fathers were all about, and see how that stacked up. Well, I found them and I found libertarianism. They were pretty radical guys, and damn smart, and I just believe in that old-time stuff and think they had great ideas.”

Russell mentioned in another interview how this also impacted his views on the Constitutional right to bear arms. “I think there’s a very strong reason the Founding Fathers had for the Second Amendment and that is that no government ever hasn’t had to fight its own people,” he said. “I think that’s an important part of our existence.

18-year-old Kurt Russell starred in the 1969 film The Computer Wore Shoes (Credit: YouTube)

Russell rarely discusses his broader libertarianism publicly. He has a policy of turning down invitations to appear on political talk shows to stay true to his belief that celebrities have no business lecturing Americans. “I don’t want to go on those shows and have someone think: ‘The last thing I want to do is watch Kurt Russell talk about sh*t that I don’t think he knows anything about.”

Russell also decided to clear the air about his core beliefs. “I believe in limited Constitutional government, free market capitalism, reach for the brass ring,” he said. “There’s this place where you can go do that and don’t step on anybody’s toes and still try to reach for the brass ring.”