The Anti-Gun James Bond

It’s not news that James Bond actors have a history of being less than friendly to guns even as they make big bucks with their violence-fueled films. But now it seems that trend is expanding to even the props – sort of. It turns out that the James Bond Aston Martin up for auction is being used to fund a foundation that publishes anti-gun studies in conjunction with the VPC & the Brady Campaign.

A 1964 Aston Martin driven by Sean Connery in “Goldfinger” and fitted with twin machine guns may fetch as much as $10 million at a London auction as 007 fans and collectors battle for James Bond’s favorite car.

The silver DB5, also used in ‘Thunderball,” is the most famous of 007’s vehicles and has revolving number plates and an ejector seat. …

“All the factory-installed gadgets are in working order,” Max Girardo, a London-based specialist with RM Auctions, said in an interview. “You won’t be able to drive down the street and machine gun people, though, and you can’t actually eject your passenger.” These were achieved by special effects, Girardo said. …

Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Jerry Lee Foundation, a charity dedicated to solving social problems associated with poverty, particularly through crime prevention.

It’s interesting how a car outfitted with two prop machine guns is being used to as a fundraiser for a group that “studies” gun bans.

Here’s a sample of the colleagues who garnered a mention in their “Acknowledgements” of the linked studies: Judy Bonderman, Handgun Control, Inc.; Kristen Rand, Violence Policy Center; and Rebecca Knox, Handgun Control, Inc.

Though they did concede in their final report that there was really no good way to show that the Clinton Gun Ban was effective in achieving any of the stated goals, they also said that the resulting loss of novelty value for pre-ban rifles meant that gun owners would likely sell them to terrorists and mass murderers.