FATAL ATTRACTION star Michael Douglas is planning to lobby the US government for tighter gun control, because he's still haunted by rocker John Lennon's 1980 shooting death.

Lennon was murdered outside his New York City apartment building by Mark Chapman, and the event is one of the major reasons why Douglas wants to use his position as a United Nations Messenger of Peace to lobby for disarmament.

He says, "I was there the night John Lennon was shot, three blocks away. It left a lasting impression on me.

"It motivated me to do whatever I could to lobby for small-arms control."