Recently, Amy Schumer has made her appearances with her cousin, New York senator Chuck Schumer, to lobby for stricter gun-control measures. The cause has become personal to her after a gunman opened fire during a July screening of Trainwreck in Louisiana. During a set at the Baby Buggy Gala Monday night, the comedian reflected on how her foray into politics revealed just how divisive the issue is. “Nobody really likes when famous people get involved in politics because you’re just like, ‘Eww, shut up, you’re an idiot.’ And you’re like, ‘Okay, you’re right.’ But there was a shooting during one of the screenings of my movie this summer in July in Lafayette, Louisiana, and these two girls, Mayci Breaux and Jillian Johnson, died, and I was very, very upset,†she explained. While what the Schumers were advocating for was a relatively moderate tightening of gun checks, much of the feedback she received was vitriolic.
“All we were fighting for was for people who have been convicted of domestic violence or if they are severely mentally ill, like, I don’t think you should be able to get a gun. Just again, I want to say: convicted of domestic abuse or if you’re severely mentally ill that you not be able to get a gun. Which seems pretty simple, but I’ve learned through Twitter and live events that what a lot of people hear is ‘You want to take all our guns!’†she said. In classic form, she had just the right response. “I’m like, ‘Oh my god, no, you seem great. You should get more guns.’ I’m just talking about the severely mentally ill — ‘You’re taking all our amendments. What’s next — you’re going to fuck animals?’ And I’m like, ‘I’ve been fucking animals for my whole life, sir.’â€