“I was at the NRA museum today,” country artist Justin Moore told his fans at a Fairfax, VA concert Friday night. “And if you don’t like that you can get the hell out – respectfully.”
The audience roared with applause, before he proceeded to sing the chorus of his crowd-pleasing hit, “Guns.”
Moore is currently on tour with fellow country star Lee Brice for the American Made Tour, and was joined by special guest William Michael Morgan. Before he stepped on stage Friday night, Moore chatted with Townhall on his tour bus about life on the road and his new album Kinda Don’t Care. He also vented about political correctness and the “misguided” mission of gun control activists.
Chatting with Justin on his tour bus before the show.
After geeking out about the day he spent at the NRA headquarters in Fairfax, Moore shared his theory as to why lawmakers are bothering law abiding gun owners.
“’Misguided’ is the perfect word,” he said. “I think ‘misinformed’ is another.”
To attack the Second Amendment, Moore continued, is a “cop out” from getting to the root of the problem.
“Mental health is the real problem,” he explained. “If it wasn’t guns, it would be knives, etc. To blame it on the tool being used, in my opinion, is ignorant. They want to put a Band-Aid over a gaping wound in my opinion. You’re trying to rationalize with irrational people. It’s impossible. The problem isn’t the NRA, we’re not the ones out there doing extreme things.”
Moore, who came out as a Donald Trump supporter about two years ago, said he’s now less concerned about the government coming after his guns.
“Yes, absolutely,” he said. “I’m really excited.”
Along with gun grabbers, Moore also has no patience for political correctness.
“I think we should be able to be open about our thoughts and beliefs,” he said, thankful that he feels he can “get away with stuff in country music you can’t in other genres.”
Moore takes advantage of that freedom in songs like “Guns,” “I Can Kick Your Ass,” and “More Middle Fingers,” a song on which he collaborated with Brantley Gilbert. His fans sing along, more than happy to flip the bird to an out-of-touch bureaucracy and anyone who questions their freedom-loving lifestyle.
“Things are a little goofy right now,” Moore said during the concert, “but America is still the greatest nation on earth.”
The spotlighted stage is miles away from Poyen, Arkansas. Poyen, a town that has little in the way of streetlights, street names, or people, is where Moore grew up and where he currently calls home.
Moore and his wife have three daughters, with another little on the way. They lived in Nashville for 10 years and Moore admitted he “wouldn’t be where he was without it.” Yet, his yearning for small town USA brought him and his family back to his Arkansas roots. He made fond memories hunting with his grandpa and the singer is carrying on that tradition with his three daughters.
The move, he said, has made him not just a better artist, but “a better person and a better father.”
Even when he’s not in Poyen, Moore tries to be “full-time dad” on the tour bus, at times parenting his three kids when his wife is at home.
“Country is a lot better than other genres as far as how much you’re gone," he said.
His schedule, which consists of about 85 shows a year, usually allows him to be home four full days each week.
Moore may perform an energetic set list in front of thousands of fans each night, but when he steps off the stage his humble and grounded nature is unmistakable. He also doesn't pass up the chance to poke some fun at himself.
His anti-PC anthem “More Middle Fingers” is certainly a favorite with the fans and I had to know if he had been on the receiving end of one lately.
“Yes, I’ve definitely had it given to me – probably most recently from my wife.”
For a copy of Moore’s new album Kinda Don’t Care or tickets to the American Made Tour, check out Justin's website.