http://twitter.com/#!/loder9/status/393809017052864512

On Friday, “Criminal Minds” actor and “Gun Stories” host Joe Mantegna tweeted a copy of an interview he did with Rifle Firepower earlier this year. While that’s eons ago in Internet time, it’s worth a read if you missed it when it was published.

http://twitter.com/#!/JoeMantegna/status/393807106039500800

The celeb gun enthusiast talked about his favorite firearms, educating gun bigots and what it was like to introduce his youngest daughter to shooting sports. Guns and politics also came up:

As a celebrity gun owner all I can do is try to be as best a role model for safe gun ownership as I can be. We in the public eye become role models if we like it or not, and I don’t ignore the responsibility I have to be as best an example I can of a participant in the shooting fraternity.

I’ve never been a political person, and have been an independent my entire life. Let’s keep the Second Amendment out of politics. It’s there for all of us in this country, and there is a reason it’s right up there below the freedom of speech. I encourage people to educate themselves regardless of their gut feelings about this issue.

Read the whole interview here.

Mantegna also did a Twitter Q&A on Friday and discussed his biggest inspirations.

http://twitter.com/#!/JoeMantegna/status/393860203902275584
http://twitter.com/#!/JoeMantegna/status/393862480507568128

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with an additional tweet.

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2013/10/26/actor-joe-mantegna-lets-keep-the-second-amendment-out-of-politics/