Mae West Learning How to Handle a Gun After Being Held Up, Robbed, and Sent Death Threats by Gangsters, 1934

In 1934, at the height of her fame, Mae West—the bold, wisecracking Hollywood icon—found herself the target of serious threats off-screen. She had been held up at gunpoint, robbed, and received death threats, reportedly from underworld figures and gangsters who either sought money, retribution, or to intimidate the outspoken star.

According to period reports, the threats and robbery shook West enough that she took matters into her own hands—literally. She began learning how to handle and shoot a gun for her personal protection. Photographs from that time depict West at a Los Angeles shooting range, dressed in her signature glamorous style, yet confidently holding and aiming a pistol—an image that perfectly merged her movie persona with her real-life toughness.

West, never one to shy away from scandal or confrontation, reportedly took the gun training seriously, as a way to protect herself from potential danger amid a climate of growing unease. This incident not only fed into the mythos of Mae West as a powerful, no-nonsense woman but also underlined the very real threats faced by celebrities, especially outspoken women, during Hollywood’s golden age.