HOLLYWOOD’S LOVE OF GUNS: The staggering number of guns featured on major movie posters

Chung Sung-Jun/ Getty Images

Liam Neeson at the Seoul premiere of “Taken 2.”

The epidemic of mass shootings in the US hasn’t curbed Hollywood’s habit of putting guns front and center in its movies.

Since a gunman went on a rampage at the Virginia Tech campus in 2007, The New York Times reports that there have been 25 other mass shootings in the country, including the massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday.

Even with the tragedies and public outcries for gun control, Hollywood continues to plaster images of guns on its advertisements.

It seems like Liam Neeson can’t be in a movie poster without one — even “A Million Ways to Die in the West” followed the lead of his “Taken” films.

Action stars like Neeson, Matt Damon, and Mark Wahlberg aren’t the only ones holding guns. Weapons are also routinely used in comedies’ posters. (See: Kevin Hart in “Ride Along 2″ or in the poster for his upcoming film “Central Intelligence” with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, or Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill in “21 Jump Street” and its sequel “22 Jump Street.”)

“Jason Bourne,” “Cell,” and “War Dogs” are all due out this summer and prominently feature guns in their posters.

The amount of film posters featuring guns is startling, and that’s not even accounting for the ones that display science-fiction weapons and blasters that resemble guns. Of movie posters from the top 100 domestic grossing movies in 2015 alone, 18 featured guns, or just under a fifth of posters.

Scroll through our slideshow below for 56 posters featuring guns for some of the top grossing movies that have been released since the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007.

“Transporter 3″ (2008)

“Quantum of Solace” (2008)

Daniel Craig’s James Bond hasn’t stopped carrying guns since 2008. Check out the poster for “Skyfall” and for “Spectre.”

“Max Payne” (2008)

“Pineapple Express” (2008)

“Tropic Thunder” (2008)

“Get Smart” (2008)

“Wanted” (2008)

“Gran Torino” (2008)

“Zombieland” (2008)

“G-Force” (2009)

Not even the guinea pigs can get away from the guns.

“Inglourious Basterds” (2009)

“Taken” (2009)

Every poster in Liam Neeson’s franchise prominently features the actor and a gun. They are the only things in the “Taken 2″ and “Taken 3″ posters. Here in the original, the gun is more prominent than Neeson’s face. 

“The American” (2010)

“Cop Out” (2010)

“Killers” (2010)

“Resident Evil: Afterlife” (2010)

Milla Jovovich’s Alice is never seen without a gun in the franchise’s film posters.

“Knight and Day” (2010)

“The A-Team” (2010)

“The Town” (2010)

Not only are there guns, but there are also fake nuns.

“The Other Guys” (2010)

“The Expendables” (2010)

The film franchise that features some of the toughest guys also always prominently features guns on its posters. Interestingly though, the first and third films’ posters each display the guns as almost camouflaged in the actors’ black outfits. Also, take note of the “wings” behind the angel/skull are made up of guns.

“In Time” (2011)

“Cowboys & Aliens” (2011)

“End of Watch” (2012)

“Red Dawn” (2012)

“This Means War” (2012)

In this film, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are battling over Reese Witherspoon, thus their guns are aimed at each other, but they’re also aimed at Witherspoon.

“Underworld: Awakening” (2012)

“Killing Them Softly” (2012)

Though the same color as the background, the gun is just as prominent as the title.

“Looper” (2012)

“Django Unchained” (2012)

“R.I.P.D.” (2013)

The film isn’t striking, but the guns on this poster are.

“The Heat” (2013)

“Gangster Squad” (2013)

“Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” (2013)

“A Good Day to Die Hard” (2013)

“White House Down” (2013)

“2 Guns” (2013)

It’s a literal title.

“G.I. Joe: Retaliation” (2013)

“John Wick” (2014)

“Non-Stop” (2014)

“The Equalizer” (2014)

“22 Jump Street” (2014)

“21 Jump Street’s” poster also prominently featured Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill holdling guns, but its sequel amped it up even more.

“The Purge: Anarchy” (2014)

“The Purge” franchise took a strong stance and illustrated the American flag out of guns for its second film. For its third film, coming out in July, an assault rifle is decorated with the flag.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014)

“The Hateful Eight” (2015)

“Hitman: Agent 47″ (2015)

“Hot Pursuit” (2015)

“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (2015)

“Sicario” (2015)

“Spy” (2015)

“The Divergent Series: Insurgent” (2015)

You can also find a gun in “Divergent,” the franchise’s first film.

“Ride Along 2″ (2016)

“The Brothers Grimsby’ (2016)

“Hardcore Henry” (2016)

“Keanu” (2016)

“Money Monster” (2016)

Read more stories on Business Insider, Malaysian edition of the world’s fastest-growing business and technology news website.