“Trainwreck” star Amy Schumer is pushing hard for stronger restrictions on gun sales after a shooting during a screening of the movie last month in Louisiana left two people dead.
Schumer and her cousin U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called a press conference Monday asking for stricter background checks on people who want to purchase guns. They announced a three-part legislative plan at the conference that would help prevent those with a history of violent mental illnesses from acquiring guns.
The plan calls for monetary compensation for states that send information to the federal government on people who have a history of violent behavior or are adjudicated mentally ill. Under the plan, states that fail to comply would be penalized.
They also urged Congress to increase funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. Earlier this summer the Senate proposed cutting $159 million in federal funding that goes towards treating and helping the mentally ill.
The Louisiana theatre shooter, John Russel Houser, was allowed to buy a gun in Alabama last year after a background check failed to indicate that he had a history of psychological problems and domestic violence complaints. In 2008, a Georgia judge even ordered Houser detained for a psychiatric evaluation after family members claimed he was dangerous.
The Schumers want to tackle the gun violence problem at its roots: gun accessibility, and that makes the most sense to me. With campus carry slowly becoming a reality nationwide, next year at The University of Texas, this issue hits close to home for students.
