Amy Schumer Blames Money For Preventing New Gun Control Laws In America
Amy Schumer recently said that money was the reason gun control measures are still difficult to pass in America, citing the profitability of the firearms industry. It’s the latest statement in the young comedian’s fight against gun violence, first started when a deranged shooter opened fire in a movie theater showing her movie, Trainwreck.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Amy Schumer explained her feelings at the Locarno Film Festival in Italy on Saturday night.
“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.”
When asked why she thought it was so difficult to pass legislation on gun control issues, Schumer answered, “I think it’s money.” She explained that profitable firearms industry keeps gun control measures out of the debate, according to Rolling Stone.
Putting a figure on the gun industry is a difficult thing to do, but Market Watch estimates it’s a $15 billion dollar a year sector. There are roughly 270 to 310 million guns in the U.S., almost enough for every person in the country to be armed.
Shootings like the one that prompted Amy Schumer’s foray into the hot button issue often cause local gun sales to spike according to the Christian Science Monitor. For example, requests for background checks in Aurora, Colorado, suddenly rose 41 percent after the 2012 movie theater shooting there. Similar spikes occurred after Columbine in 1999, and Tuscon, Arizona, in 2011.
Barack Obama has also caused firearm revenues to grow. After his presidential elections in 2008 and 2012, sales surged out of fear that he would issue new gun control measures.
As a result, the firearm industry has boomed with revenues growing at an average of 8.4 percent per year from 2008 to 2013. That money is largely protected by gun rights lobbying groups like the NRA.
Still, Amy Schumer has friends (family actually) to help her win some firearm controls after the movie theater shooting.
She appeared at a press conference with New York Senator Chuck Schumer, her second cousin, once removed, to promote a new set of gun control measures. The comedian explained the shooting was very personal for her.
“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 proposal included stricter background checks for firearm purchases and additional funding for mental health facilities.
In the end though, it might take money to defeat money. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the NRA went head-to-head with Bill Gates over a ballot initiative to force a background check on all firearm purchases in Washington State. Gates out spent the competition and the measure won a decisive vote.
Putting enormous sums of money into promoting gun control might not be an option for Amy Schumer, but she’s still using her platform to promote her personal cause.
[Image Credit: Getty Images]
