2016 Oscars & Guns: A-List Stars Sport Gun Wristbands Advocating Brady Campaign
The 2016 Oscars will be a hive for many social issues being addressed, and guns will be one of them. Several A-list stars will be sporting gun wristbands in support of the Brady Campaign. The accessory is dubbed the “Brady Bracelet.”
The New York Daily News reports that celebrities like Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell, Patricia Arquette, director Adam McKay, and other A-listers will have on wristbands at the 2016 Oscars with the initials and ages of shooting victims engraved on them in an effort to highlight America’s gun violence epidemic, according to the Brady Campaign.
Here are the celebrities campaigning against gun violence tonight at the Oscars: https://t.co/uLkYS4TzdP pic.twitter.com/MnsxwqJCYr
— NY Daily News Gossip (@NYDNgossip) February 28, 2016
“When celebrities are asked, ‘Who Are You Wearing?’on the red carpet this Oscars weekend, they can say they’re wearing a moving tribute to one of the thousands of Americans affected by gun violence every year,” the gun advocacy group said in a statement.
The “Brady Bracelets” are crafted in black and gold with the company’s hashtag #ENOUGH on it as a tribute to victims whose stories are on the site, SayEnough.org.
Among the many tributes, Roanoke TV reporter Alison Parker is one of them. She was gunned down live on camera during a news interview last summer. Akeal Christopher, a Brooklyn teen, died on his 15th birthday, and Alex C. Teves died while trying to protect his girlfriend during the 2012 Aurora movie theater massacre.
“Hollywood is joining the Brady Campaign to call for an end to the daily terror in malls, schools, and churches, and in the streets and homes of cities and towns across this country,” Brady Campaign President Dan Gross said.
As People reports, the Brady Campaign advocates a specific background check that prevents “convicted felons, domestic abusers, and fugitives” from owning a firearm. Additionally, it remembers victims who lost their lives as a result of gun violence.
“This awards season, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is teaming up with Hollywood to lift up the stories of the 90 Americans killed every day by gun violence,” a press release from the campaign reveals. “On the red carpet, high-profile celebrities … will join the effort to shed light on the human cost of gun violence by wearing unique, hand-crafted bracelets that commemorate Americans killed or injured by gun violence.”
.@PattyArquette, @SteveCarell to promote anti-gun violence at #Oscars with ‘Brady Bracelets’ https://t.co/Fh9S2VFafp pic.twitter.com/z545wEBUbi
— People Magazine (@people) February 27, 2016
All jokes and pointed emphasis on the Oscars lacking diversity of nominees in major categories for 2016 aside, there will be advocacy for the prevention of gun violence at the awards on Sunday night.
The American people are cognizant of the issues that have taken hold of the country when it comes to the staggering number of innocent victims killed as a result of firearms being in the wrong hands. This is a movement that goes far beyond Washington. At a time when President Obama is signing executive orders and putting in a repeated effort to make change on the issue of guns, celebrities are backing the movement.
How will you feel seeing your favorite stars sport “Brady Bracelets” at the 2016 Academy Awards? While it’s a nice way to remember those who’ve lost their lives well before their time due to gun violence, some will view it as flashy Hollywood celebrities making yet another political statement, and this one involves the heated topic of their Constitutional rights and the Second Amendment.
Viewers can see stars donning the Brady Bracelets on the red carpet during People and EW’s red carpet live streaming pre-show on Sunday at 5:30 p.m., ET and 2:30 p.m., PT on People.com.
The 88th Academy Awards airs at 7 p.m., ET and 4 p.m., PT on ABC.
[Photo by MyIntent.Org]
