Action movie legend Kurt Russell was grilled about his pro-gun views in a recent interview by a reporter who asserted that “disenfranchised white guys need” guns in order to “feel good about themselves.” Russell replied, “If you think gun control is going to change the terrorists’ point of view, I think you’re, like, out of your mind … I think it’s absolutely insane.”

In the ensuing exchange, Russell attacked the idea of prohibiting guns for individuals on federal watch lists and noted that preparedness is the realistic solution to violence. And when the interviewer said the words, “Just put some controls,” Russell quickly responded: “Put some controls? What, so the people, so the people who want to defend themselves can’t?”

We don’t know about you, but we’d take Snake Plissken on our side of the debate any day.

A homeowner in Jenks, Okla., foiled the plans of three suspected robbers Wednesday morning, narrowly escaping injury. According to police, the would-be burglars broke into a vehicle parked in a driveway in the normally quiet Tulsa suburb and used a remote-control garage door opener to gain entry to the home. To their surprise, they were met face to face with the homeowner inside the garage. The suspects then opened fire on the victim, but missed. That’s when officers say the victim fired back several times, quickly deflating their determination to get inside.

The suspects returned to their vehicle and fled the scene. Police finally caught up with the three men later that day, arresting them after a police chase through south Tulsa. Officers recovered two handguns from the car and found “a large amount of property” that also connects the three men to a slew of recent armed robberies and car burglaries across Tulsa County.

The anti-gun lobby prefers empty gestures to meaningful action, so it’s no surprise that their latest response to violent crime in the U.S. amounts to a video message and a series of marches.

Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun group Moms Demand Action vows to organize “Orange Walks” in nearly 100 cities this weekend, while sister group Everytown for Gun Safety is mashing up a video in which celebrities, President Obama and the survivors of crime victims all proclaim, “We can end gun violence.”

While they’re at it, maybe they can outlaw hunger, abolish war and rid the world of all known diseases. The sad fact is that with his $38 billion fortune, Bloomberg could make a difference—for example, by funding a Project Exile effort to improve federal enforcement of existing gun laws, which is drastically down under President Obama—but instead he funds the empty gesture and publicity stunt. Hooray.

California Gov. Jerry Brown has taken a page from the playbook of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, blaming violence inside the state on its neighbors’ gun laws. “California has some of the toughest gun-control laws of any state,” he announced. “And Nevada and Arizona are wide open, so that’s a gigantic back door through which any terrorist can walk.”

However, Nevada and Arizona have no connection to the guns used in the San Bernardino terrorist attack, prompting the governors of those states to slam Brown’s explanation. This “blame the neighbors” strategy has been a standby of politicians unable to account for the fact that all of their stringent gun-control laws have not worked to prevent violence. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey described Brown’s statement as “out of bounds,” while Nevada Gov. Mari St. Martin said it was “wrong and irresponsible.”

Terrorism hit a little too close to home for Orange County supervisors. In the wake of the San Bernardino attacks, Board of Supervisors Chairman Todd Spitzer announced Tuesday that Orange County employees will be trained to defend themselves. However, that training won’t take place at a gun range—as California state laws prohibit the possession of firearms in any city, county, state or federal building—but rather using routine office items in self-defense.

A committee will be assigned the task of assessing the vulnerability of all county buildings and will provide recommendations for training, safety upgrades and new protocols. “It might be a paper clip holder, but it’s gonna be something,” Spitzer said.

Might we suggest a more effective recommendation: Allow law-abiding gun owners with concealed-carry permits to bring their guns to work. They would be a much more powerful defensive tool against terrorists than staplers and paper clips.

Politicians in Los Angeles County, already home to some of the strictest anti-gun laws in the country and located in the state with the most restrictive gun laws, are pushing to further inconvenience law-abiding gun owners.

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas believes “much more” needs to be done about mass shootings, and is throwing his weight behind a variety of measures, including mandating insurance for gun owners, taxing ammunition, stepping up gun “buy-back” programs, requiring additional background checks on guns sold in the county and further regulating semi-automatic firearms.

Of course, since criminals don’t follow laws—that’s why they are called criminals—all of the proposed restrictions would only affect law-abiding residents of Los Angeles County, who already have to navigate onerous laws just to practice their Second Amendment rights. Sounds like more of the same from California’s gun-haters.