Politics

Amy Schumer Tackles Everything Wrong With Our Gun Laws

June 24th 2016

Amy Schumer is once again using biting comedy to address gun control. The comedian just released a previously cut sketch that hilariously but powerfully tackles the issue, Insider reports.

Initially supposed to be featured on the actress's Comedy Central series "Inside Amy Schumer," the sketch is about the fictitious law firm Shrak & Murphy, whose chief attorney fights on behalf of gun violence victims.

toby shrak"Inside Amy Schumer"/Insider - thisisinsider.com

“Have you ever been injured in a mass shooting or other gun crime? Do you want justice?” asks Toby Shrak, played by H. Jon Benjamin. “Hi, I’m Toby Shrak of the law firm of Shrak & Murphy, but don’t call me, because there’s nothing I can do.”

As NPR explained, the 2005 passage of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) means that gun manufacturers "have unique protections from lawsuits that most other businesses — and particularly consumer product-makers — do not." From NPR:

"In other words: If you aim and fire a gun at an attacker, it's doing what it was intended to do. If it explodes while you shoot and hurts you, though, then you can sue the manufacturer. Likewise, if you had told the gun store owner you planned to commit a crime with that gun, your victim could potentially sue."

Some politicians, including presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, have advocated for repealing PLCAA.

inside amy schumer"Inside Amy Schumer"/Insider - thisisinsider.com

The previously cut skit deftly addresses these protections.

"I tried to sue the manufacturers of a hollow-tip bullet that was designed to inflict as much pain as possible. But current law makes it impossible to sue for damages," a victim in the skit says. "I even had to pay the ammo company’s legal cost."

In the wake of the mass shooting at an Orlando LGBT nightclub where 49 people were shot and killed, lawmakers from both parties introduced measures for stricter gun control. But both the Senate and House of Representative failed to pass any of them.

Schumer told Politico:

"I am sickened by the cowardice of these people who are supposed to lead us. Their dedication seems to be only to dollar signs for their own pockets. In November, we will remember who stood with the gun lobby, rather than their constituents, as we mourned for Orlando."

Schumer has been vocal on the issue of gun control since two women were shot and killed in Lafayette, Louisiana, at a showing of her film "Trainwreck."

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