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John Lennon's Bloodied Glasses Used In Plea On Gun Violence

Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono, the widow of slain Beatle John Lennon, has weighed in on the issue of gun control by tweeting a photo of the blood-spattered eyeglasses worn by the legendary musician when he was fatally shot by a deranged fan more than three decades ago.

Her tweet, on the 44 th anniversary of the couple's marriage:

"Over 1,057,000 people have been killed by guns in the USA since John Lennon was shot and killed on 8 Dec 1980."

In a series of follow-up tweets:

"31,537 people are killed by guns in the USA every year. We are turning this beautiful country into war zone."

"Together, let's bring back America, the green land of peace."

"The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience. After 33 years our son Sean and I still miss him."

The image of Lennon's bloodied spectacles, with New York's Central Park in the background, was also the cover photo of Ono's 1981 album Season of Glass.

The comments from the 80-year-old visual artist, musician and political activist came just a day after a hotly debated assault weapons ban was officially dropped from Senate gun control legislation prompted by the Newtown, Conn., school shooting.

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Scott Neuman is a reporter and editor, working mainly on breaking news for NPR's digital and radio platforms.
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