Issues

Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and More Sign Open Letter to Congress Demanding Gun Control

The petition covers the July 2 issue of Billboard.
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Courtesy of Billboard.

In the wake of four separate failed Senate votes on gun-control measures, new attempts to pass a bipartisan bill have begun, with congressional Democrats now staging a sit-in on the House floor until a vote is held. In a show of solidarity, some of the music industry and Hollywood’s most powerful names are lending their voices to the cause.

An open letter that’s also this week’s Billboard cover is signed by celebrities including Katy Perry, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Joan Jett, Selena Gomez, and Barbra Streisand. The opening remarks from the editors address both the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where 49 were killed, as well as Christina Grimmie’s tragic death the night before in the same city. “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 letter below reads.

It continues: “We call on Congress to do more to prevent the gun violence that kills more than 90 Americans every day and injures hundreds more, including: Require a background check for every gun sale. Block suspected terrorists from buying guns.

Joan Jett was the first to sign the letter, with Lady Gaga adding her name shortly thereafter. Over 180 artists and executives from all parts of the music industry—Broadway, pop, rap, even the New York Philharmonic—signed in total.

Billboard and the undersigned implore you—the people who are elected to represent us—to close the deadly loopholes that put the lives of so many music fans, and all of us, at risk,” the letter ends.

While famous voices shouldn’t hold more weight than those that have been extinguished by gun violence, this show of solidarity is comforting in a time when elected officials have reached a standstill.

Courtesy of Billboard.