Dwight Yoakam thinks Marilyn Manson aiming a fake gun at concertgoers was "an inappropriate moment" -- but adds that kinda stunt is fair game in a nation as free as ours.
We got the country star Monday at LAX and he stopped short of ripping into Manson for his assault rifle prop at his show in San Bernardino ... scene of a 2015 mass shooting.
Manson chalked it up to his artistic expression ... and Dwight seemed to accept that, but made it clear he'd never pull that kinda thing.
He also talked about terrorism and the ongoing wave of gun violence in America -- and Dwight seems to think there's no way to put an end to it.