British actor John Cleese riled up gun-loving Americans this week after he tweeted how “terribly funny” it is that they’re buying guns during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Monty Python co-founder and “How to Irritate People” creator tweeted to his 5.7 million followers Wednesday: “It strikes me that it’s terribly funny that the response of some Americans to a virus is to buy guns.”

“Buying guns seems to be the default position for some of the American electorate,” he wrote in another tweet. “When confronted by something upsetting, they buy guns — Bears…same-sex marriages….global warming…albino raccoons…long words…Hispanics…ANY kind of panics… Let’s go shopping!!!”

Mr. Cleese spent the next two days fighting off a number of detractors, often with sarcasm.

One critic wrote: “The poor British, unmanned, disarmed and proud of it. Yikes.”

Mr. Cleese fired back Friday afternoon: “I think the British are proud that they DON’T need a gun to make themselves feel manly. And they would feel sympathy for any males suffering from feelings of inadequacy because they don’t own a gun.”

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