of the Department of Energy on classified nuclear weapon
information. This particular work, along with other private
jobs he held for the military, required Heston to obtain “Q
Clearance” for six years. “Q Clearance” was the nation’s
highest security clearance at the time and is similar to the
Top Secret clearance used for the Defense Intelligence
Agency (DIA) today.
A Political Activist
As a result of being involved in the military and the war,
Heston developed an interest in politics. In his early life,
he claimed himself a Democrat, and participated in the
March on Washington in 1963, with Martin Luther King
Jr. There are still pictures around today of Heston holding
up signs and walking tall through the crowds, demanding
equality and freedom for all Americans. In 1965, He was
elected president of the Screen Actors Guild, and he held
that position for six years. Heston was constantly being
approached to lead the people. Had it not been for the
take-off of his acting career, he would have gone on to run
for U.S. Senate in 1969 under the Democratic Party.
Heston’s practice in positions of authority ultimately led
him to new relationships in a more conservative setting.
He became very good friends with Ronald Reagan and
campaigned for his election. Heston officially switched
parties and registered as a Republican in 1987. The two of
them enjoyed dinners and other various outings together, where they would have the privacy to discuss Reagan’s
campaign. Once Reagan became president, they continued this tradition, where Reagan often confided in Heston and asked for his advice regarding both personal and
political matters. When Reagan passed in 2004, Heston
attended his funeral with great sorrow.
Charlton Heston was elected President of the National
Rifle Association (NRA) in 1998. When elected, he stated
that he was “protecting the 2nd Amendment” to uphold
the constitution created by our founding fathers. Heston
himself collected more than 400 antique firearms over the
years and, being an outdoorsman and an American countryman, he found great comfort and beauty in the weapons. During an NRA convention, Heston held one of his
prized collectible rifles in the air and uttered the famous
phrase still repeated today: “You can take my rifle when
you pry it from my cold, dead hands.”
112 Summer 2015 Adventure Outdoors
Charlton Heston, president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) sworn in before testifying before a US House
of Representatives Government Reform subcommittee
on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources
on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Credit: STEPHEN JAFFE / staff
Heston did not support the violence that unfortunately followed his choice means of protection, but he would defend
the original and inten ded purpose for the right to bear arms.
Heston once stated wisely, “There are no good guns, there are
no bad guns. A gun in the hands of a bad man is a bad thing.
Any gun in the hands of a good man is no threat to anyone,
except bad people.” In 2003, the NRA presented Heston with
a 10-foot-tall bronze statue of himself in his character off of
Will Penny, a 1968 film of Heston’s. The statue features Heston as a cowboy holding a handgun. It stands at the NRA’s
national headquarters in Washington, D.C., in his honor.
That same year (2003), Heston retired from his role as President of the NRA after revealing that he had been diagnosed,
unfortunately, with Alzheimer’s disease. That was also the
year he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, recognizing his outstanding accomplishments as a citizen, from
President George W. Bush, whom he also campaigned for
through it all. Heston was a good friend of the Bush family,
involved in both Bush campaigns, and the award meant a
great deal to Heston personally.