Senator Charles Schumer is a rather influential person in his own right. But he's hoping the popularity of his closest Hollywood connection - his own cousin - can help boost support for a bill he says will keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them.
The New York Democrat and the popular comic actress united in New York City last weekend, where they spoke of their "crusade on guns." The politician's bill, he says, would call for tough background checks and close loopholes that convicted criminals and certified mentally ill individuals can work around to acquire firearms.
It would also protect the interests and rights of responsible gun owners, he said during a recent visit to Buffalo.
"What we've proposed is very rational and supported by gun owners," he said. "It simply says the background checks should be done more completely and exclusively."
Amy Schumer got involved in her cousin's cause in August, not long after a gunman fatally shot two women inside a movie theater in Louisiana. The theater was screening her film, Trainwreck, at the time of the violence.
The comedienne has a large following on social media, which includes more than two million followers on Twitter.
