Amy Schumer recently came out in support of the “Wear Orange” campaign for Everytown for Gun Safety. Everytown is an organization that aims to educate the public on issues of gun violence and fight for stricter gun legislation in order to ensure safer communities. After two people were killed when a gunman open fired in a theater showing of Schumer’s film Trainwreck, the actress decided that the time to come out in support of communities safe from gun violence was now.
Schumer calls for all of her fans to wear orange on June 2nd for National Gun Violence Awareness Day in support of an America free of gun violence. Those who purchase “Wear Orange” merchandise from Everytown for Gun Safety will be automatically entered for a chance to win tickets to her sold-out show at Madison Square Garden along with backstage passes.
Everytown is rooted in the idea that gun violence touches every single town in America and that the fight against gun violence must begin in these very same communities. The organization encourages people to act within their own home towns in the fight against gun violence. As the upcoming election draws attention to the issue of gun control, Everytown calls for a show of support against gun violence that is larger than ever. The “Wear Orange” campaign aims to draw attention to the grossly high rates of gun violence that occur in America and encourage legislators to make the necessary changes to reduce this rate.
One of the main goals of Everytown for Gun Safety is to educate the public on the issues surrounding gun violence. These are issues such as background checks, suicide prevention, stricter gun trafficking laws and domestic violence. As stated by the organization Futures without Violence, “women suffering from domestic violence are eight times more likely to be killed when there are firearms in the home.” Even in cases of no reported prior domestic abuse, the presence of a gun in the home makes intimate partner femicide five times more likely. Everytown works to educate the public on the relationship between gun violence and domestic abuse and fights to keep guns out of the hands of abusers. With 51 women a month being killed with a gun by an ex- boyfriend or spouse, Everytown is taking steps to protecting women and ensuring that a safer community entails not only every town, but everyone.
Besides the “Wear Orange” campaign, Everytown also provides a list of resources and steps that people can take to actively fight for gun safely in their own communities. The website shows visitors how to contact their congressperson or senator. The site also allows people to create videos and add their voice to the ever-growing chorus of voices calling for an America without gun violence. Schumer’s voice is just one among many that are speaking out against gun violence. Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed with a gun than people in other developed countries totaling more than 12,000 gun murders a year and twice that number of injuries according to BBC news which also notes that 62 of these incidents occurred in schools. Schumer, as well as the thousands of others who have shown their support for this organization, argue that this number is far too high and that we cannot wait any longer to fight against gun violence. Gun violence touches every town and that is exactly where change needs to start.
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