Julianne Moore Pushes For Gun Safety

The US’s 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, when 20 children were gunned down, was the last straw for actor Julianne Moore. In the aftermath of the massacre, she felt compelled to take action.

In a country where, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, there are expected to be more gun related deaths than traffic fatalities this year, Moore told People, “[After Sandy Hook] I said to my husband I’ve got to do something. This is the one thing that I need to say something about. This is my responsibility as a parent.”

In the same way that cars have things in place to reduce fatalities, such as seat belts, airbags and licensed drivers, so should it be with guns, said Moore. In 2012, she went to her phone book to look for supporters and then created the Everytown Creative Council aiming to “amplify the movement to end gun violence on our country”.

Almost 100 celebrities have joined Moore’s Everytown Creative Council, including Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon, Alec Baldwin, Jason Bateman, Kate Bosworth, Jeff Bridges, Steve Carell, Don Cheadle, Ellen DeGeneres, Kirsten Dunst, Michael J. Fox, Seth MacFarlane, Mark Ruffalo, Meg Ryan, Kyra Sedgwick, Liv Tyler, Reese Witherspoon and Jeffrey Wright.

Their goals are outlined thus:
1. To keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, including convicted criminals, domestic abusers, stalkers, terrorists and people with dangerous mental illness.
2. To have guns stored safely, unloaded and out of the reach of children.
3. To bring everyone into play in reducing gun violence.
4. To have the creative community galvanize Americans in gun violence prevention.

“By signing our names to this statement,” state Everytown Creative Council members, “we commit to use our creativity and visibility in the months ahead to help drive real change. While these are just the first steps, we pledge to use our voices wherever and whenever we can, doing our part to help mobilize more Americans to help save lives from gun violence.”