John Mellencamp had some harsh words for the new Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, he still believes is still too weak to be effective. The new legislation in Washington, D.C. would secure background checks for gun buyers under 21, as well as making it easier to take away weapons from those threatening to harm themselves or others, along with those who have a history of domestic violence.

Mellencamp tweeted a message to regarding the current climate of gun murders in the U.S.:

Only in America, and I mean only, in America, can 21 people be murdered and a week later be buried and forgotten, with a flimsy little thumbnail, a vague notion of some sort of gun control law laying on the senators’ desks. What kind of people are we who claim that we care about pro-life?

Just so you know, anyone that’s reading this….politicians don’t give a f*** about you, they don’t give a f*** about me, and they don’t give a f***about our children. So, with that cheery thought in mind, have a happy summer, because it will be just a short time before it happens again.     

John Mellencamp

SIDE NOTES

  • John Mellencamp‘s latest album, Strictly A One-Eyed Jack, features Bruce Springsteen guesting on three tracks: “Did You Say Such A Thing,” “Wasted Days,” and “A Life Full Of Rain.”
  • Back on December 9th, 2019, Springsteen and Mellencamp teamed up at Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre for Sting and wife Trudie Styler‘s all-star concert to benefit The Rainforest Fund.
  • The highlight of the ’80s-based show was Mellencamp’s rendition of “Jack & Diane,” followed by “The Boss” joining him for “Pink Houses” and Mellencamp returning the favor during “Glory Days,” before Springsteen played “Dancing In The Dark.”

FAST FACTS

  • John Mellencamp has scored 10 Top 10 hits to date, with 1982’s “Jack & Diane” marking his sole Number One hit to date, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for a solid month.
  • Mellencamp had a couple of near-misses, with 1982’s “Hurts So Good” and 1986’s “R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. (A Salute To ’60s Rock)” both peaking at Number Two.
  • All told, between 1979 and 1996, John Mellencamp scored a total of 22 Top 40 hits.

CHECK IT OUT: John Mellencamp’s video for 1998’s “Your Life Is Now”: