An open letter has been written, and signed, by more than 200 stars of entertainment including Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore or J.J. Abrams, in response to the massacre of 19 children and two teachers in a primary school in Texas, at the end of May, and to a previous murderous shooting in Buffalo.
Le Monde with AFP
Hollywood stars published an open letter on Monday 13 June asking that films and series show the example in terms of firearms. It is signed by famous producers like J.J. Abrams (“Lost”), Shonda Rhimes (“Bridgerton”) and the president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy. More than 200 celebrities from Hollywood, including Jimmy Kimmel, Judd Apatow or Mark Ruffalo, signed the letter.
“Cultural behavior concerning tobacco, drinking alcohol, wearing the seat belt and equality in front of marriage have all evolved in part thanks to the influence of films and television. It is Time to start with the dangers of firearms, “says this letter broadcast by Brady Campaign, an association demanding a stricter regulation of firearms in the United States.
“We do not ask everyone to stop showing weapons on the screen. We ask the writers, directors and producers to pay attention to violence by firearms shown on the screen and to Promote security in the handling of these weapons, “continue the signatories.
Show the” good gestures “on the screen
The films could, for example, show the characters locking the security gut of their weapon. The teams could also try to find an alternative to firearms in certain scenes without “harming the integrity of the story”. Noting that the number of dead by firearms has recently exceeded that of road accidents among young Americans, the open letter asks professionals in the sector to “limit the scenes in which both children and weapons appear”.
In total, 4,368 American children and adolescents under the age of twenty were killed by firearm in 2020, according to official statistics. They point out that if firearms are omnipresent in series and films around the world, “only America knows such an epidemic of violence”.
“Responsibility returns to lax laws on arms, supported by political figures who are more concerned with staying in power than saving lives”, they write. “We have not created the problem but we want to help solve it.”