This Sunday in New York City, comedy goddess Amy Schumer and her cousin Senator Chuck Schumer (D – NY) joined forces in a speech urging for aggressive revision of gun control regulation.
Their demands are entirely reasonable: don’t allow online or gun show purchases without a background check, fix the flaws of the whole background check system to restrict those with violent backgrounds from obtaining weapons, and put a stop to gun trafficking.
Amy Schumer began advocating for stricter gun control after a man opened fire last July at a screening of her hit movie, Trainwreck, in Louisiana, killing two women – Mayci Breaux and Jillian Johnson, to whom Amy Schumer dedicated her Live at the Apollo HBO special.
Speaking on the steps of New York City Hall with his cousin, Chuck Schumer said, “since [the July shooting], there have been at least 95 shootings across the country. We can’t just sit back and allow these mass shootings to become commonplace.” The senator hopes to introduce the change of legislation for early 2016.
For Amy Schumer, the issue is personal: “I don’t know why he picked my movie. It is something that I live with every day,” she said on Sunday about the Louisiana shooting, “these women are forever in my heart.” At a career peak with the phenomenally successful Trainwreck and Live at the Apollo – not to mention her over 2 million followers on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook – Amy Schumer has tremendous reach to an audience that otherwise might not have thought twice about getting involved.
“Gun violence is ripping apart America, it’s ripping apart our families. And even those untouched by violence must every few days just look up in a stunned silence at another nightly newscast that reads like an obituary,” she said. The two Schumers have encouraged fans and followers to use the hashtag #AimingForChange on social media to speak out and encourage legislatures to make the changes that need to be made. And with more than 3k retweets in less than 24 hours, we’re hoping it sticks.
Photos via Twitter/Amy Schumer
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