Taylor Swift and Britney Spears are among 133 stars who have called attention to gun violence by signing a new petition.
Billboard magazine organised the petition following the rejection of four new gun control proposals by the U.S. Senate on Monday (20Jun16).
The appeal letter features on the cover of the latest issue of the magazine, released on Wednesday (22Jun16), alongside the words: “As leading artists and executives in the music industry, we are adding our voices to the chorus of Americans demanding change.”
The names of all 133 actors and music stars, and 57 executives, that are backing the campaign also feature on the front and back of the publication.
Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Barbra Streisand, Beck, Billy Joel, Bonnie Raitt, Calvin Harris, Carole King, Cher, Ellen DeGeneres, Elvis Costello, James Corden, Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, Lee Daniels, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meghan Trainor, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Selena Gomez, Tony Bennett, Yoko Ono and Zayn Malik also feature in the list.
The lengthy letter reads: “Music always has been celebrated communally, on dancefloors and at concert halls. But this life-affirming ritual, like so many other daily experiences – going to school or church or work – now is threatened, because of the gun violence in this country.
“The one thing that connects the recent tragedies in Orlando is that it is far too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on guns.”
The tragedies referred to in Orlando, Florida, include the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub by gunman Omar Mateen and the assassination of singer Christina Grimmie by shooter Kevin Loibl at a fan meet and greet in the city.
The letter continues to list the ways that Congress should be doing more to prevent gun violence in America, such as “require a background check for every gun sale” and “make it illegal for suspected terrorists to legally buy guns”.
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