Amy Schumer: Meaningful gun control is possible
Amy Schumer joined forced with New York Sen. Chuck Schumer Monday to call for stricter gun control laws.
During a news conference, the actress and her politician cousin advocated for new legislation that would create financial rewards for states that submit all necessary records into the background check system and penalize states that do not.
The comedian expressed that she felt deeply compelled to put her voice to work to promote the cause of gun control after the July 23 theater shooting during a screening of her latest movie Trainwreck, in which two women died and nine others were injured.
In the wake of the shooting, the senator reached out to his cousin to see if she would be willing to join him in promoting a new piece of gun control legislation. The comedian was more than willing, saying that when she answered the phone, she immediately said, "I hope you're calling about doing something about gun control."
"Preventing dangerous people from getting guns is very possible," the comedian told reporters. She added: "These are my first public comments on the issue of gun violence, but I promise they won't be my last."
Sen. Schumer spoke about the challenges of passing gun legislation: "We're up against a powerful lobby, so having people like Amy -; who people respect and listen to -; is a great antidote to that lobby ...; To have voices like Amy speak out ...; she reaches people that, frankly, I would never reach."
Asked if she had had real input in the legislation, the actress said, "I had a lot of say. I'm very stubborn."
The actress ended the press conference on a humble note, however. When a reporter asked if beyond her fans and supporters she would be able to influence lawmakers, she thought for a moment and then responded, "I don't know."
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