Major Hollywood Players Write Open Letter To Acknowledge Industry's Influence On Gun Discourse

In the aftermath of the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, N.Y., a group of about 200 leading producers, directors and writers for movies and TV are pledging to revisit the use of guns in their storytelling, and to incorporate gun safety best practices into their scripts.

The open letter, which was initiated by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, has so far been signed by talents including Judd Apatow, Debbie Allen, Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Lawrence, Adam McKay, Shonda Rhimes, Mark Ruffalo and Amy Schumer, among many others.

In part, the letter reads:

The pledge includes promises to show characters locking up their guns safely and making them inaccessible to children; "have 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"; and limit scenes that combine children and guns, "bearing in mind that guns are now the leading cause of death for children and adolescents" in the U.S.

The 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."