NRA brands action star Matt Damon a hypocrite for advocating gun control

"It's wonderful what Australia did because you guys haven't had a mass shooting since you went, 'No, we're going to be sensible about this.' And nobody's rights have been infringed, you guys are fine. I wish we could be sensible like that but I don't think that's going to happen in my lifetime."

However, it's equally brave to make comments like that when a large element of his film career has been spent wielding guns of varying sizes, leaving himself open to accusations of hypocrisy. Although, of course, it's not hypocritical at all, seeing as films are not real life and he has never - to our knowledge - spent his time off-set spraying bullets around in his local supermarket.

In his comments, Damon was referring to Australia's famous decision to bring in the National Firearms Agreement following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which outlawed semi-automatic and automatic rifles, together with pump-action shotguns. It saw a huge reduction in firearm-related homicides (59 per cent) and suicides (65 per cent).

Naturally, there have been a host of 'sensible', un-'emotional' and considered reactions to his thoughts on Twitter after the NRA got wind of the story: