Comedian Amy Schumer, joined by her second cousin, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Monday announced a legislative initiative seeking increased gun control in the wake of last month’s fatal shooting of two people at a Louisiana screening of her film “Trainwreck.”
“Unless something is done and done soon, dangerous people will continue to get their hands on guns,” she told reporters. “We need a background check system without holes and fatal flaws.”
From Mother Jones:
The three-part legislative plan will seek to limit gun access to the mentally ill and violent criminals by rewarding states that provide thorough background check information while penalizing states that fail to do so. The two also called on Congress to fund greater mental health and substance abuse programs.
Over the weekend, Schumer responded to an open letter from a mother of a Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim that urged her to speak out and support gun control legislation. The letter, posted on Medium, asked Schumer to be a “voice for our generation and for women—two groups who make up most of the victims of the gun violence in our country.”
“These are my first public comments on the issue of gun violence,” Schumer said on Monday. “But I promise you they will not be my last.”
Read the full article here.
—Posted by Roisin Davis
If you have trouble leaving a comment, review this help page. Still having problems? Let us know. If you find yourself moderated, take a moment to review our comment policy.