Celebs join open letter pressing Hollywood to ‘model gun safety’ in TV and movies

Jimmy Kimmel, Shonda Rhimes, Julianne Moore and Amy Schumer are among the stars who are signing an open letter focused on gun violence, urging Hollywood to promote safety rather than glamorization.

The letter, organized by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, was published Monday.

In the message, the group of more than 200 prominent figures said, “As America’s storytellers, our goal is primarily to entertain, but we also acknowledge that stories have the power to effect change,”

“Cultural attitudes toward smoking, drunk driving, seatbelts and marriage equality have all evolved due in large part to movies’ and TV’s influence. It’s time to take on gun safety,” the letter said.

The letter noted that the group of performers and production pros wasn’t “asking anyone to stop showing guns on screen.”

“We are asking writers, directors and producers to be mindful of on-screen gun violence and model gun safety best practices. Let’s use our collective power for good.”

The effort comes following mass shootings last month in Buffalo, N.Y., and at a Texas elementary school. On Sunday, a bipartisan group of 20 senators announced they had agreed to a deal addressing gun violence, which the lawmakers billed as a “commonsense proposal.”

The letter pledged that future projects would “use our creativity to model responsible gun ownership and show consequences for reckless gun use.”

“We will make a conscious effort to show characters locking their guns safely and making them inaccessible to children,” the letter said.

Signers also said they would have at least one conversation during pre-production about how guns would be portrayed in their productions, and would limit scenes that included children and firearms. 

“We are under no illusions that these actions are a substitute for common sense gun legislation. Furthermore, this list does not incorporate every nuance of guns on screen,” the letter said.

“However, these are small things that we can do as a community to try and end this national nightmare.”

Other celebrities who signed the letter include: director J.J. Abrams, choreographer Debbie Allen, filmmaker R.J. Cutler, Grant Heslov, Adam McKay and Mark Ruffalo.

—Updated at 6:58 p.m.