The idea of picking up the phone and calling powerful people in Washington can be intimidating; even Hollywood heavyweights agree.
But it's much less terrifying than it seems — and it can make all the difference.
In a new PSA by Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a chorus of celebrities urge viewers to pick up their phones and hound representatives in Congress when it comes to new gun legislation.
Emma Stone, Tunde Adebimpe, Melissa McCarthy, Moby, Bill Hader, and Julianne Moore (among many others) appear in the relatively unpolished but powerful two-minute spot, which was released just over two weeks after a gunman killed 59 people in Las Vegas — one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
"The mass shooting in Las Vegas has all of us grieving, scared, and angry," Stone began.
"It can sometimes feel intimidating to make these calls," actor Julianne Nicholson acknowledged in the video. "But it actually couldn't be easier."
The celebrities are urging viewers to demand that their reps oppose two bills currently hanging in the balance.
One is the Share Act. This legislation would ease restrictions on gun silencers, making it easier for potentially dangerous people to purchase them.
[rebelmouse-image 19532003 dam="1" original_size="500x254" caption="Julianne Moore. GIF via Everytown for Gun Safety/YouTube." expand=1]Julianne Moore. GIF via Everytown for Gun Safety/YouTube.
The other is the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. This legislation would nationalize so-called "concealed carry" — the allowance of guns in public spaces (as long as they're concealed in, say, a bag or coat pocket). This would let gun owners with conceal carry permits ignore state or local ordinances that contradict that standard.
[rebelmouse-image 19532004 dam="1" original_size="500x241" caption="Tunde Adebimpe. GIF via Everytown for Gun Safety/YouTube." expand=1]Tunde Adebimpe. GIF via Everytown for Gun Safety/YouTube.
"See? That was a little bit scary, but not too scary," Nicholson says, hanging up the phone after calling her representative. "So I really recommend you try it."
Viewers are encouraged to text R-E-J-E-C-T to 644-33, connecting them to Everytown for Gun Safety. The organization will then immediately call to connect you with your representative, and even provide guidelines on what to say.