Justice

Amy Schumer Gets Candid About Gun Violence

April 26th 2016

It's no secret that gun control is a divisive issue in America, and actress and comedian Amy Schumer is no stranger to this conversation.

amy-schumer-red-carpetBigStock/DFree - bigstockphoto.com

In Vanity Fair's May cover story, it was revealed that the actress hired a bodyguard after she received death threats for speaking out against gun violence:

"Having received numerous death threats thanks to her public musings that the Second Amendment might not 100 percent require arming lunatics, Schumer had also acquired a bodyguard since I’d last seen her. Burly if not quite Dwayne Johnson-size, he stood outside her spartan, cold trailer—the heat wasn’t working—while we talked and she ate some microwaved, not very appetizing-looking eggs for a late breakfast. Cable sketch comedy is not a glamorous world."

In the summer of 2015 Schumer, along with her cousin Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), called for tighter gun control legislation after a man opened fire in a Louisiana theater during a screening of her movie "Trainwreck." As ATTN: previously reported, she expressed solidarity with the victims and announced plans to help stop gun violence at a press conference following the shooting, which left two young women dead. At the conference she stated:

“These are my first public comments on the issue of gun violence, but I promise you they will not be my last...I wanted to do something that it was something about restrictions and protecting their families maybe it would be effective... I’m expecting a backlash and I’ll handle it."

Amy Schumer press conference with Chuck SchumerAP Photo/Seth Wenig - apimages.com

In the story with Vanity Fair, Schumer said she felt regret and guilt for making the movie directly following the news of the shooting.

In October 2015, she appeared again with Sen. Schumer at New York City Hall to call for legislation that would extend background checks to dealers who privately sell guns off the market — like at gun shows, according to Variety.

As ATTN: previously reported, earlier this year President Barack Obama took executive action of gun control by requiring background checks for guns purchased at gun shows or online — two areas that had not been required to do so under law.

gun-pointed-at-cameraFlickr/gcfairch - flic.kr

A 2015 HuffPost/YouGov poll found that although a majority of Americans are concerned about terrorism, 85 percent of people expressed concern toward gun violence and that the nation has failed to address it. The poll also found that though 53 percent of Americans support stricter gun laws, the country is divided on whether tougher gun laws would actually be a solution to curb mass shootings. In 2015 alone there were more than 290 mass shootings, according to the Washington Post.

There are 12,000 gun murders every year in the U.S., and on an average day, 91 Americans are killed with guns, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.

You can watch Amy Schumer talk about gun violence below:

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