Rosie's Rant Revs Riflemen

03/01/1999 at 12:00 AM EST

Rosie O'Donnell's rant against the National Rifle Association during an on-air debate with Tom Selleck last week sparked a rash of angry telephone calls to Kmart by gun owners. The talk show hostess does TV commercials for the store chain, which also sells guns. O'Donnell apologized to Selleck, who had filmed a commercial for the NRA, after heated exchanges on her show last week. But the apology didn't keep more than 200 people who oppose gun control from calling Kmart to complain, company spokesman Steve Pagnani said. Kmart said it has no plans to fire O'Donnell as its celebrity spokeswoman, despite the calls.