Amy Schumer: ‘I Think It’s Money’ to Blame for Gun Control Problem
Less than a week after Amy Schumer revealed she would join efforts to reduce gun violence in America, the comedian admitted that she believes the country’s inability to enforce a stricter gun control policy is likely because of how profitable the firearms industry is. “I think it’s money,” Schumer said at Italy’s Locarno Film Festival.
“You know it’s really not my area of expertise but it really upset me. It felt really personal to me. In terms of what’s going on in our Congress and why this has been such an ongoing issue is very frustrating,” Schumer said. (via The Hollywood Reporter). “I just felt the need to get involved because of how personal that event felt and how upset it made me feel.”
Following the July 23rd shooting at a Lafayette, Louisiana movie theater during a Trainwreck screening that left two women dead, Schumer teamed with her cousin New York Senator Chuck Schumer to outline a three-action proposal for combating gun violence, which included a stricter background check on those purchasing firearms as well as additional funding to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
In the case of the Lafayette incident, 59-year-old “drifter” John Russell Houser was able to legally purchase the gun used in the shooting at an Alabama pawnshop, even though Houser’s history of mental problems should have prevented him from acquiring a weapon.
“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 during Monday’s press conference alongside Senator Schumer. “We always find out how the shooter got their gun, and it’s always something that never should have happened in the first place.”
Following the Lafayette shooting, Trainwreck director Judd Apatow said in a statement, “We, as a country, need to find a way to do better.”