American Icon Admits: 'I Do Like to Have Guns Around' (Plus: She Describes Stopping a Potential Home Intruder)

Maya Angelou is revered for her poetry and popular writings. But when the 85-year-old icon sat down with Time Magazine recently to discuss her life and career, she divulged a piece of information that many likely didn't know before: She likes guns -- and has even fired one in an effort to stop an alleged home intruder.

In fact, Angelou told Time that she likes "to have guns around" for self-protection. When asked about her own mother's fondness of firearms (Angelou's mom was apparently known to carry a gun) and whether she shared that penchant, the poet was candid.

"Well, I do like to have guns around, I don’t like to carry them," she said. "But I like -- if somebody is going to come into my house and I have not put out the welcome mat, I want to stop them."

And Angelou wasn't done there. Time asked if she has ever fired a weapon and she said, "Of course!" The author explained one event in detail:

I’ve fired it period, not at a person I hope! [...]

I was in my house in North Carolina. It was fall. I heard someone walking on the leaves. And somebody actually turned the knob. So I said, "Stand four feet back because I'm going to shoot now!" Boom! Boom!

One portion of the transcript that is not shown in the video, but is reported by Fox News Insider, reads, "The police came by and said, 'Ms. Angelou, the shots came from inside the house.' I said, 'Well, I don't know how that happened'" (again, this part of the dialogue is not in the below video and was allegedly uttered right after Angelou said "Boom! Boom!").

Watch at the 3:20 point:

This story has been updated.

(H/T: Fox News Insider)