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Images via Wikimedia Commons
Billboard has rallied together with a large number of artists and important people in the music industry to sign an open letter addressed to Congress. The open letter urges congress to “Stop Gun Violence Now,” and appears on the cover of this week’s issue of the magazine. “As leading artists and executives in the music industry, we are adding our voices to the chorus of Americans demanding change,” reads the start of the letter.
The letter continues, “Music always has been celebrated communally, on dancefloors and at concert halls. But this life-affirming ritual, like so many other daily experiences—going to school or church or work—now is threatened, because of gun violence in this country. 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.”
Among those who have signed the letter are Wayne Coyne, Zayn Malik, Alicia Keys, Andy Samberg, Diplo, Pusha T, Paul McCartney, Selena Gomez, Trent Reznor, Lady Gaga, Iggy Pop, Katy Perry, Beck, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Wilco, Kid Cudi, Kesha, Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr, Talib Kweli, Questlove, Sia, Courtney Love, Macklemore, Mark Ronson, Mike D of the Beastie Boys, and countless music industry executives.
Read the letter in full here.
