Amy Schumer Emotionally Speaks Out on Gun Violence: 'These Shootings Have Got to Stop'
"These shootings have got to stop. I don't know how else to say it."
Amy Schumer made good on her promise to do something about gun violence with a press conference held in New York City on Monday. Alongside her cousin, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, the comedian grew emotional as she spoke out about the shooting that occurred during a screening of her film Trainwreck last month.
"No one wants to live in a country where a felon, the mentally ill or other dangerous people can get their hands on a gun with such ease," she told reporters. "The critics scoff and say, 'Well, there's no way to stop crazy people from doing crazy things,' but they're wrong.”
WATCH: Amy Schumer Reacts to Theater Shooting: 'My Heart is Broken'
On July 23, a shooter opened fire in a Lafayette, Louisiana theater showing Trainwreck, killing two women -- Mayci Breaux, 21, and Jillian Johnson, 33 -- and injuring nine others. Schumer, who “didn’t want to say” the gunman’s name, says she thinks about those victims everyday.
"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," she explained. "We always find out how the shooter got their gun and it's always something that never should have happened in the first place."
The Schumers' proposal includes stricter background checks for all gun purchases. Senator Schumer will introduce legislation to Congress that would reward states that submit all required information to the federal government, while penalizing those who don’t. Their proposal also includes better funding for the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and new recommendations for how states deal with “involuntary mental health commitments.”
“Preventing dangerous people from getting guns is very possible,” the actress added, before promising she would continue fighting for this cause. “These are my first public comments on the issue of gun violence, but I promise you they will not be my last.”
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When asked by a reporter if she thought the shooting was in retaliation to her comedy, which very vocally supports feminism, Schumer said, "I got about a million emails from friends telling me it could've been any movie -- I'm trying to believe that, but I'm not sure.”
"Women are always under great threat of violence, just statistically,” she continued, “When these sort of things happen we mourn, and then we get angry, and it'll just make us fight harder.”
Grateful to @amyschumer for adding her talent & her voice to the nationwide call to put an end to #gunviolence. pic.twitter.com/tJyRdNyinw
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) August 3, 2015.@SenSchumer Thank you so much for inviting me.
— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) August 3, 2015Learn more about the tragic shooting and Amy Schumer’s response, below: