Celebrities Demand Gun Control Amidst Multiple Shootings: ‘It’s About Life and Death’
By Nate Nickolai
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Celebrities from across Hollywood are demanding more gun control following two mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas.
“When I went to bed last night hundreds of @
MomsDemand volunteers were marching in DC following the horrific shooting in #
elpaso,” wrote actress Julianne Moore. “When I woke up, there had been another tragic shooting in #
Dayton. My outrage is exhausted, replaced by resolve to #
EndGunViolence.”
In both shootings, the gunmen allegedly used high powered rifles, allowing them to open fire on a large number of people in a short amount of time. In Dayton , nine people were killed and 27 others were injured, and in El Paso 20 people were killed and 26 others were injured. The mass murders also come on the heels of a third shooting earlier this week at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California. There, three people were killed and 15 others were injured.
“Who has to die for laws to change,” questioned Lili Reinhart on Twitter. “I am sick to my stomach over what has happened in El Paso today. I can’t believe this is happening in my country and no one is doing anything about it,” she said.
John Legend echoed a similar sentiment, condemning white nationalism and calling the shooters “terrorists.”
“My heart aches for El Paso and Dayton. Our nation is experiencing these traumas far too often and we need our leaders to take urgent action. Take these weapons of war off the street and fight the evil ideology of white nationalism that motivates many of these terrorists.”
“It’s not an academic question, it’s not a political game, it’s about life and death,” Legend continued in another tweet . “The President regularly inspires killers. He is a part of the problem.”
Rihanna also slammed President Trump, screenshotting one of his tweets and writing, “Imagine a world where it’s easier to get an AK-47 than a VISA!
Imagine a world where they build a wall to keep terrorists IN AMERICA!!!” And Twitter seems to agree as #trumpsterrorists and #whitesupremacistterrorism continue to trend in America.
Jamie Lee took a simpler approach, tweeting the phrase “Assaultweaponsban” over and over again in a single post. Curtis also retweeted a statement from the Human Rights Campaign, which lists out all the major shootings in recent history. “#EnoughIsEnough
. We need commonsense gun violence prevention legislation now.
#DaytonStrong
#ElPasoStrong,” the tweet reads.
Bette Midler agreed, writing “America, we are at war with ourselves. Another mass shooting, this one in Dayton, Ohio. Let’s just call it what it is. #
domesticterrorism.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson offered a different take on the situation, pointing to higher rates of fatality in a number of other cases such as medical errors, flu and suicide. However, he faced widespread backlash for his statement with many calling the tweet insensitive. “Even more people die of natural causes, but does this mean that mass murder doesn’t matter?,” responded one Twitter user.
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