After the shooting at the Grand 16 movie theater in Lafayette, LA, which saw three killed and nine injured during a screening of Amy Schumer’s film Trainwreck, some had wondered whether the comedian would take action against gun culture in America. That has now very affirmatively been answered: her cousin happens to be New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, and the two are teaming up on what USA Today calls a “three-pronged approach to fighting mass shootings.”
This comes after Sarah Clements — the daughter of a Sandy Hook teacher — had asked Amy Schumer in an open letter whether she was going to step up. She’d said, “Your movie — which was so well-received, so brilliant, so you — will now forever have this shooting attached to it… Join our movement. Write an op-ed. Support an organization. Demand change…” to which Schumer had responded on Twitter, “Don’t worry I’m on it. You’ll see.”
The initiative was announced today, and will approach the issue through an attempted tightening on background checks and increased funding for mental health care. The aim, states Politico, is to “prevent violent criminals, abusers and those with mental illnesses from obtaining guns.”
The legislation Sen. Schumer has drafted would allegedly award states who thoroughly submit records for background checks, while states that fail to comply would face penalties. The Schumers are also aiming to convince the Justice Department to write an explicit report guiding states as to how they should deal with “involuntary mental health commitments;” they’ll also ask Congress for full funding of programs for substance abuse and mental health.
As CinemaBlend noted, Schumer will be appearing on The Daily Show this evening, and may use some of that time to discuss the legislation.