Reality TV star and baking businesswoman Angela Simmons has apologised for taking a purse shaped like a gun to an award ceremony.

Simmons, the daughter of Run-DMC star Rev Run, posed with the green gun-shaped sequinned clutch at the BET Awards on Sunday.

"When I chose the purse, I believed it was cute and unique, and made a poor decision in using it as an accessory to amplify my beauty," she wrote to her eight million Instagram followers.

"I deeply regret that this item, which symbolizes a gun, was inappropriate and insensitive, especially given my personal and community experiences with gun violence."

Simmons, known for the TV shows Run's House and Growing Up Hip Hop, went on to say that her partner died as a result of gun violence, calling it "a disease that has taken too many lives".

"By carrying this purse, I did not intend to promote gun violence in any way.

"It was a mistake that does not define who I am or my commitment to ending gun violence. To anyone who was hurt or offended by my actions, l offer my deepest apologies."

At the Black Entertainment Awards in Los Angeles, she posed with the purse, which matched her green jewelled dress, and pointed it at photographers on the red carpet.

Simmons is also the chief executive of Angela's Cakes, which sells baking products.

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