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Amy Schumer Just Made A Major Move For Gun Control

by Jordana Lipsitz

Comedian, actor, and producer Amy Schumer does not just use her art as a means to entertain — as she's proven time and again, she is also not hesitant to use it as a way of speaking out about political issues she's passionate about. Most recently, Schumer has used her celebrity to voice her strong opinions on gun control, first by campaigning for change and, now, by removing a gun-centric scene from her upcoming movie.

According to E!, Schumer's decision to cut a scene that shows someone shooting a gun at people came after the mass shooting that claimed the lives of 49 people at Pulse nightclub this June. The violent scene would've been featured in a new film Schumer is making with Goldie Hawn and Christopher Meloni, which is set to be released on May 12, 2017 and is currently shooting. The comedian choosing to cut the scene is a commendable move, but no surprise given her history with gun control activism. After July 23, 2015, when two people were killed and nine were injured in a shooting at a Louisiana showing of Schumer's film Trainwreck, the actor immediately took action, collaborating with her cousin, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, to advocate for gun control legislation.

The duo's words turned into action, as in August 2015, the Schumer cousins got together to create a new gun control initiative, and announced their plan at a press conference in New York. Amy gave an emotional speech, saying that the Louisiana shooter shouldn't have been able to get a gun in the first place. She argued that though "the critics scoff and say, 'Well, there's no way to stop crazy people from doing crazy things'... they're wrong."

According to Politico, the legislation is meant to push three agendas: rewards and penalties as a means of encouraging states to submit records into a national system of background checks; pressuring Congress to provide full funding for mental health and substance abuse programs; and enacting a better handling of involuntary mental health commitment. In May, Senator Schumer introduced The Brady Law, a bill delegating universal background checks, into Congress.

His comedian cousin's commitment to gun control issues is inspiring, as well. Schumer has never shied away from controversial topics, having taken on ageism in Hollywood, then rape culture, and plenty of other hot-button issues in sketches on her show, Inside Amy Schumer, but her work for gun control is quickly becoming her biggest platform. In October 2015, she dedicated her HBO special to the victim of the Louisiana theater shooting and that same month, while hosting Saturday Night Live, she performed in a sketch about gun control The mock commercial poked fun at the "need" for guns, with a woman going into a labor toting a gun, a gun being given as an engagement ring-style, and even a woman jogging with a gun in hand. At the end, the screen read, "Guns, we're here to stay."

Both Schumers clearly do not hesitate to use their prominent voices to support the gun control platform, or to use their social media to remind people about the legislation they're trying to promote. As an A-list celebrity constantly in the public eye, Amy's activism, in particular, is inspiring. She doesn't back down from what she believes in, and goes far to make sure everyone is informed about the issues she cares about. Her latest move, cutting the gun scene from her new movie, is the biggest sign yet of her impressive dedication to the cause.