The NRA's "Enemies" List: The Surprise Isn't Who Is On It, But That So Many Are
On Wednesday, Chris Rock, Tony Bennett, Amanda Peet, Adam Scott and Anna Deavere Smithare among the famous figures who are trekking to Capitol Hill to push for new gun control legislation, according the Politico, working with a coalition of orgs that are trying to keep up the pressure on lawmakers post-Newtown.
Undoubtedly, if they are not on the National Rifle Assn.'s list of celebrities with "anti-gun policies," they soon will be. The list, which was posted to the website of the NRA's lobbying arm the Institute for Legislative Action in September, is surprising not for the names listed but for it's scope. Bennett, for instance, is already on it, but he's long been a champion of gun control and left-of-center causes. The same can probably also be said of Matt Damon, Ellen DeGeneres, Michael Douglas, Phil Donahue, Michael Moore, Barbra Streisand and Rob Reiner. But Fannie Flagg, Peter Reckell and Cathy Rigby? Who knew they were so outspoken? Peter Bonerz of "The Bob Newhart Show" is on the list, but where does the guy who played Mr. Carlin stand?
Some of the figures on the list, like Jill Clayburgh, passed away several years ago, while all of The Temptations are listed, which could account for more than a half-century of opinion from the two dozen or so who have been members of the legendary group.
Actually, the list is revealing in that it shows the lengths to which the NRA is monitoring what it said about them, or about guns in general. Some journalists who are on the list are treating it like a badge of honor, the way that many treated their listing on President Richard Nixon's "enemies list," although that usually came with a suspiciously coincidental IRS audit.
The intent of the list appears to be to show that show biz, the media and elite institutions are stacked up against the NRA. You can't help but wonder, though, whether the listing of so many names, from Jane Fonda to Sylvester Stallone, actually has the opposite effect, to show that on gun policy, a number of Hollywood figures who've diverged so often on their political views find themselves in agreement on the need for action on guns.
The complete list is below:
Celebrities:
Krista Allen - Actress
Suzy Amis - Actress
Louis Anderson - Comedian
Richard Dean Anderson - Actor
Maya Angelou - Poet
David Arquette - Actor
Ed Asner - Actor
Alec Baldwin - Actor
Bob Barker - TV Personality
Carol Bayer Sager - Composer
Drew Barrymore - Actress
Kevin Bacon - Actor
Lauren Bacall - Actress*
Sarah Ban Breathnach - Writer
William Baldwin - Actor
Candice Bergen - Actress
Richard Belzer - Actor
Tony Bennett - Singer
Boys II Men - Pop Group
Jon Bon Jovi - Singer
Peter Bogdonovich - Director
Peter Bonerz - Actor
Albert Brooks - Actor
Beau Bridges - Actor
Benjamin Bratt - Actor
Bonnie Bruckheimer - Movie Producer
Christie Brinkley - Model
Dr. Joyce Brothers - Psychologist/Author
James Brolin - Actor
James Brooks - TV Producer
Mel Brooks - Actor/Director
Betty Buckley - Actress
Ellen Burstyn - Actress
Steve Buscemi - Actor
David Canary - Actor
Kate Capshaw - Actress
Kim Cattrall- Actress
Josh Charles - Actor
Robert Chartloff - Producer
Stockard Channing - Actress
Jill Clayburgh - Actress
Terri Clark - Singer
George Clooney - Actor
Jennifer Connelly - Actress
Judy Collins - Singer
Kevin Costner - Actor
Sean Connery - Actor
Sheryl Crow - Singer
Billy Crystal- Actor
Julie Cypher - Director
Arlene Dahl - Actress
Clive Davis - Writer
Linda Dano - Actress
Matt Damon - Actor
Pam Dawber - Actress
Patrika Darbo - Actress
Stuart Damon - Actor
Ellen Degeneres - Actress
Gavin de Becker - Writer
Rebecca DeMornay - Actress
Danny DeVito - Actor
Michael Douglas - Actor
Phil Donahue - Talk Show Host
Richard Donner - Director
Fran Drescher - Actress
Richard Dreyfus - Actor
David Duchovny - Actor
Sandy Duncan - Actress
Christine Ebersole - Actress
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds - Singer
Missy Elliott - Singer
Nora Ephron - Director
Gloria Estefan - Singer
Melissa Etheridge - Singer
Mia Farrow - Actress
Mike Farrell - Actor
Carrie Fisher - Actress
Sally Field - Actress
Doug Flutie - NFL player
Fannie Flagg - Actress
Jane Fonda - Actress
Jodie Foster - Actress
Rick Fox - NBA Player
Andy Garcia - Actor
Art Garfunkel - Singer
Geraldo - TV personality
Richard Gere - Actor
Kathie Lee Gifford - TV personality
Paul Glaser - TV director
Brad Gooch - Writer
Elliott Gould - Actor
Louis Gossett, Jr. - Actor
Michael Gross - Actor
Nancy Lee Grahn - Actress
Bryant Gumbel - TV Personality
Deidra Hall - Actress
Ethan Hawke - Actor
Mariette Hartley - Actress
Mark Harmon - Actor
Anne Heche - Actress
Howard Hesseman - Actor
Marilu Henner - Actress
Dustin Hoffman - Actor
Hal Holbrook - Actor*
Helen Hunt - Actress
John Ingle - Actor
Francesca James - TV Producer
Norman Jewison - Director
Lainie Kazan - Actress
Richard Karn - Actor
Jeffrey Katzenberg - Producer
Barry Kemp - TV Producer
David E. Kelley - TV Producer
Diane Keaton - Actress
Margaret Kemp - Interior Designer
Chaka Khan - Singer
Kevin Kline - Actor
Michael E. Knight - Actor
Jonathan Kozol - Writer
Lenny Kravits - Singer
Lisa Kudrow - Actress
Wally Kurth - Actor
Christine Lahti - Actress
k.d. lang - Singer
Ricki Lake - TV personality
Denis Leary - Actor
John Leguizamo - Actor
Norman Lear - TV Producer
Spike Lee - Director
Hal Linden - Actor
Tara Lipinski - Former Olympian
Keyshawn Johnson - NFL player
Rob Lowe - Actor
Amanda Marshall - Singer
Barry Manilow - Singer
Camryn Manheim - Actress
Howie Mandel - Actor
Kyle MacLachlan - Actor
Madonna - Singer
Marla Maples - Actress
Marsha Mason - Actress*
Mase - Singer
Penny Marshall - Director
Prema Mathai-Davis - YWCA Official
John McDaniel - Musician
John McEnroe - Athlete
Brian McKnight - Musician
Natalie Merchant - Singer
Bette Midler - Singer
Mary Tyler Moore - Actress
Michael Moore - Film Maker
Mike Myers - Actor
N Sync - Music group
Kathy Najimy - Actress
Jack Nicholson - Actor
Leonard Nimoy - Actor
Mike Nichols - Director
Stephen Nichols - Actor
Rosie O`Donnel l- Actress/Talk Show Host
Jennifer O Neill - Actress
Julia Ormond - Actress
Jane Pauley - TV Personality
Sarah Jessica Parker - Actress
Mandy Patinkin - Actor
Richard North Patterson - Writer
Rhea Perlman- Actress
Michelle Pfieffer - Actress
Aidan Quinn - Actor
Colin Quinn - Actor
Dennis Quaid - Actor
Elizabeth Bracco Quinn - Actress
Bonnie Raitt - Singer
Debbie Reynolds - Actress
Mary Lou Retton - Former Olympian
Paul Reiser - Actor
Peter Reckell - Actor
Rob Reiner - Actor/Director
Robert Redford - Actor/Director
Anne Rice - Writer
Cathy Rigby - Actress
Julia Roberts - Actress
Marc Rosen - TV Producer
Tim Robbins - Actor
Tim Roth - Actor
Renee Russo - Actress
Robin Ruzan - Wife of Mike Myers
Meg Ryan - Actress
Susan Sarandon - Actress
Jerry Seinfeld - Actor
Kyra Sedgwick - Actress
Martin Sheen - Actor
Russell Simmons - Record Producer
Neil Simon - Playwright*
Louise Sorel - Actress
Mira Sorvino - Actress
Rena Sofer - Actress
Britney Spears - Singer
Bruce Springsteen - Singer
Kevin Spirtas - Actor
Barbra Streisand - Singer
David Steinberg - Director
Sylvester Stallone - Actor
Harry Dean Stanton - Actor
Meryl Streep - Actress
Patrick Stewart - Actor
Sharon Stone - Actress
Sting - Singer
Trudie Styler - Actress
Jonathan Taylor Thomas - Actor
The Temptations - Pop Group
Vinny Testaverde - NFL player
Marlo Thomas - Actress*
Uma Thurman - Actress
Steve Tisch - Producer
Mike Torrez - Former Baseball player
Shania Twain - Singer
Dick Van Dyke - Actor
Eli Wallach - Actor*
Harvey Weinstein - Producer
Jann Wenner - Publisher
Sigourney Weaver - Actress
Victor Webster - Actor
Andy Williams - Singer*
Kelli Williams - Actress
Henry Winkler - Actor
Oprah Winfrey - Entertainer
Rita Wilson - Actress
Vanessa Williams - Singer
Herman Wouk - Author
Joanne Woodward - Actress*
Peter Yarrow - Singer
Catherine Zeta-Jones - Actress
Ahmet Zappa -Actor
Diva Zappa -Actress
Dweezil Zappa - Musician
Gail Zappa -
Moon Zappa -Actress
* Denotes membership on
Brady Campaign`s National Committee
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