A group of approximately 200 Hollywood directors, writers, and producers pledged to revisit the implementation of guns in their storytelling, while incorporating gun-safety measures into the scripts.
An open letter, signed by the likes of Judd Apatow, J.J. Abrams, Adam McKay, Bill Lawrence, Jimmy Kimmel, Shonda Rhimes, and Mark Ruffalo, among others, was initiated by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
A portion of the letter reads: "Guns are prominently featured in TV and movies in every corner of the globe, but only America has a gun violence epidemic. The responsibility lies with lax gun laws supported by those politicians more afraid of losing power than saving lives. We didn't cause the problem, but we want to help fix it.
"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.
"We are not 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."
The pledge comes after mass shootings recently took place in Uvalde, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
It also comes less than one year after actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer on the set of the movie, "Rust."
For that incident, New Mexico police confirmed that Baldwin shot director Joel Souza and Halyna Hutchins, with Hutchins being pronounced dead by emergency personnel, prior to arriving to the hospital.
The Hollywood open letter also promises to be more diligent about discouraging children from taking up firearms.
Ideally, Hollywood would work to "limit scenes including children and guns, bearing in mind that guns are now the leading cause of death for children and adolescents."
Also, "[having] at least one conversation during pre-production regarding the way guns will be portrayed on screen and consider alternatives that could be employed without sacrificing narrative integrity," the letter reads.
The open letter concludes: "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. However, these are small things that we can do as a community to try and end this national nightmare."
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