We were all heartbroken after the mass shooting during a screening of "Trainwreck" in Lafayette, Louisiana, on July 23.
Amy Schumer, the film's writer and star, is speaking out about the tragedy. "I'm not sure why this man chose my movie to end those two lives and injure nine others," the actress said of Jillian Johnson and Mayci Breaux's deaths, according to Mashable. "But it was very personal for me."
Now, she's calling for change in gun laws by throwing her star power behind new gun control efforts proposed by her cousin, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.
Sen. Schumer's gun control proposals come just days after the Louisiana theater shooting, which marked yet another mass shooting in America this summer.
Photo by Yuri Gripas/AFP/Getty Images.
Amy joined Sen. Schumer at a press conference on Aug. 3 to announce new initiatives aiming to curb gun violence.
"These shootings have got to stop," she said during the conference. "I don't know how else to say it."
"We always find out how the shooter got their gun and it's always something that never should have happened in the first place."
The Schumers are hoping a "three-pronged" approach will help prevent potential mass shootings down the line.
According to a news release provided to Upworthy, their proposed approach will:
- Keep guns in safe hands: New legislation from Sen. Schumer will financially reward states that submit necessary records into background check systems. If states do not comply, they will be penalized.
- Help states prioritize mental health care: The senator and actress urged the Department of Justice to put forth recommendations on best practices regarding state standards on mental health commitments.
- Fund important mental health programs: The duo called on Congress to fully fund mental health and substance abuse programs. Currently, the Senate's budget proposal calls on cuts to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Amy's vocal support for a change in gun laws follows a commitment she made on Twitter to a daughter of a Sandy Hook survivor.
Sarah Clements wrote an open letter to Amy on July 31, encouraging the actress to act after the tragedy in Louisiana.
In the letter, Clements brought up the fact that the killer (who was "opposed to women having a say in anything") chose Schumer's film — "an honest, unapologetic celebration of women's rights to our bodies, decisions, and independence" — to murder two innocent people.
She also discussed the fact that violence in America is too often a gender-based crime:
"All of these problems — the disgusting comments and harassment we receive on Twitter and other social media platforms, the obsession of many mass shooters ... with anti-feminism and anti-women ideals, the over-idolization of firearms and fetishization of what they stand for, and the easy access to guns all stem from the same group of core ideologies that we must work to shut down."
In response to the letter, Amy tweeted, "Don't worry I'm on it. You'll see."
Although Amy's public stance against gun violence is a first, she assured us she has more to say.
"These are my first public comments on the issue of gun violence," she said. “But I can promise you, they will not be my last."
