For the last two decades, shock-rocker Marilyn Manson has been closely associated with gun violence in America.
When the Columbine school shooting took place, conservative America took pains to place the blame on musicians like Manson rather than looking at factors such as prescription drugs, the availability of guns.
On Monday night, Manson centred himself in the gun debate once more by bringing a lifelike rifle onstage during his concert in San Bernardino.
The fake gun actually had a microphone attached, and Manson used it throughout the performance with barrel pointed at the crowd. The sensitivity of Manson's decision to use the prop has come under question, given that at least 26 people were in killed in Texas on Sunday morning just hours before Manson performed.
Similarly, San Bernardino itself was the site of a mass shooting which left 14 people dead back in 2015.
Addressing the criticisms, Manson gave a statement to Variety, saying: "In an era where mass shootings have become a nearly daily occurrence, this was an act of theatre in an attempt to make a statement about how easily accessible semi-automatic weapons are and how seeing them has become normalised."
"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."
"My performance was not meant to be disrespectful or show any insensitivity. The prop microphone I used on stage was handed to me with the approval of a police officer. My empathy goes out to anyone who has been affected by the irresponsible and reprehensible misuse of REAL guns."
Below is footage of Manson using the prop gun onstage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=LdzaFASKB5M
