“We can end gun violence.”
It’s a simple refrain that becomes a rallying cry in a powerful new video released this week by Everytown for Gun Safety. In it, survivors of gun violence appear alongside celebrities like Sarah Silverman, Spike Lee, and Sofia Vergara, as the message is repeated over and over again. The video’s release is meant to roughly coincide with the third anniversary of the December 14 mass shooting at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
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Viewers are encouraged to lend their own voice to future iterations of the video, by recording themselves saying either “we can” or “end gun violence” and uploading that footage through a designated online portal.
In a press release announcing the video, Colin Goddard, senior policy advocate for Everytown for Gun Safety and a survivor of the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting, explained:
“The fact that Americans are 20 times more likely to be murdered with a gun than people in any other developed country is unacceptable. But, together, Americans are standing up and fighting back, and this new video sends a clear message that we will rally together to help end gun violence. The gun safety movement has grown tremendously over the past few years and what’s more: we’re winning. We’re defeating the gun lobby in statehouses across the country and making it clear that we won’t sit idly by while 88 Americans are killed by gun violence every day and hundreds more are injured.”
For Amy Schumer, who appears several times in the video, advocating for gun safety has been a top priority since a shooting at a screening of her movie Trainwreck left three dead. In the aftermath of that attack, the actress joined with her cousin, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), to introduce a three-part plan to help tighten the regulations around gun sales.
Actress Julianne Moore has also been active in the firearm control community, having partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety earlier this year to co-chair the Everytown Creative Council, a network of representatives from the arts community, all dedicated to gun safety. Among the council’s members are many of the celebrities who appeared in this latest video, including Amanda Peet, Jennifer Aniston, and Nick Offerman.
In addition to the release of Everytown for Gun Safety’s video, the organization is hosting a series of “Orange Walks” in 100 cities around the country this coming weekend. There, supporters will march, wearing the color of hunting safety gear as “a symbol of a shared commitment to do everything we can to reduce gun violence in our country.”
The group has also released their 2015 “Year in Review” report. In it, Everytown for Gun Safety lists its accomplishments of the past year, thanks its growing network of grassroots supporters—which the group claims has increased by more than 1 million people since last year—and describes plans for 2016, such as the introduction of background check ballot measures in both Nevada and Maine.
“Moms and Americans across the country are fed up and we are channeling our anger into action,”explained Shannon Watts, whose Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America group is part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s extended network. “Thoughts and prayers alone from lawmakers aren’t enough: We demand stronger gun laws to protect our children, families, and communities. This weekend, we’re honoring the victims and survivors of gun violence, and we’re showing our continued commitment to changing America’s culture of gun violence. In 2016, we will use our voices and votes to make gun safety a make-or-break issue for political candidates.”
[via the interrobang]
