Madonna Performs Gun Show Less Than 48 Hours After 'Dark Knight' Shooting

By Justine Ashley Costanza | July 23 2012 1:09 PM

The unendingly controversial Madonna is making headlines yet again in what is starting to feel like cultivated bad behavior. The Queen of Pop is under fire for going ahead with a heavily armed performance at a concert in the wake of the Dark Knight shooting. During a performance in Edinburgh, Scotland on Sunday, the singer took to the stage with pistols and an AK47 in hand -- less than 48 hours after the Aurora, Colo., shooting.

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Many Madonna and Lady Gaga fans have noted the similarities between Madonna’s hit “Express Yourself” and Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way,” and now the queen of pop is merging the two songs together to send out a message to Gaga: “She’s Not Me.”

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The massacre, which ensued during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, resulted in the deaths of twelve people. James Holmes, the prime suspect in the violent spree, reportedly used four guns, including an AK47 type firearm, to kill his victims.

Scottish police officials urged Madonna to remove the prop weapon from her act. She was also asked to be mindful of the Dumblaine Primary School Massacre in making her decision. The1996 shooting resulted in the deaths of sixteen children and one adult. But during Murrayfield Stadium concert, which is part of her MDNA tour, nothing was altered from the show's planned line-up. The decision has sparked outrage, with Mothers Against Guns condemning the singer's actions in a statement.

Madonna and her dancers using replica guns was always in bad taste but given what happened in Colorado it is even worse, said a spokeswoman for the organization. She should know better.

The pop star was warned by Scottish authorities that her concert would be shut down if she used the faux weapons in her routine but the show went on without any interference, and the Daily Record is reporting that Madge won't face any criminal charges. The gun slinging segment of the show, which features a Kill Bill style mass killing, has been deemed shocking by critics.

Each time she offs a dancer...blood and gore spatter across the giant video screens, writes Kitty Empire of the Observer. Is it shocking? Well, slightly, yes. The violence is pretty graphic, given the smattering of kids in attendance...

When it comes to shock value, the MNDA tour hasn't fallen short. Last month, Madonna used a swastika to signify her disdain for French National Front leader Marine Le Pen at a show in Tel Aviv. The 53-year-old also bared her breast during a performance in Istanbul.