Amy Schumer has entered the gun control debate following the shooting inside a Lafayette, Louisiana movie theater screening of her movie, “Trainwreck.”
The comedian, who wrote and stars in the Judd Apatow-directed comedy, joined her cousin Sen. Chuck Schumer at a Manhattan press conference on Monday to address the issue, and promote the New York representative’s new plan to crack down on gun violence across the country.
“I’m not sure why this man chose my movie to end those two lives and injure nine others, but it was very personal for me,” Schumer said. “We always find out how the shooter got their gun and it’s always something that never should have happened in the first place.”
Sen. Schumer proposed legislation that creates financial rewards for states that submit all necessary records into the background check system and creates penalties for states that do not.
The comedian and senator also asked the U.S. Department of Justice to write a comprehensive report comparing all states’ standards for involuntary mental health commitment and urged the DOJ to give federal recommendations for best practices.
Additionally, they asked Congress to fully fund mental health and substance abuse programs, while also increasing funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
“If there’s anything that the mass shootings… have taught us, it’s that we should do everything in our power to close these loopholes,” said Sen. Schumer. “We all know that if laws were tighter, the shooter in Charleston would not have been able to purchase a gun.”
Amy’s partnership with the Democrat comes after promising a concerned fan, whose mother was a survivor of the Sandy Hook school shooting, she would be addressing the issue shortly.
“Don’t worry, I’m on it,” Amy wrote on Twitter over the weekend in response to an open letter calling for the comedian to speak out against gun violence and “demand change.”