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Jon Hamm, Beyonce, Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell are just a few of the celebrities who appeared in a public service announcement calling for an "end to gun violence" one week after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting stunned the nation. The video, posted by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, has since amassed more than 6 million YouTube views. "Enough," celebrities in the ad state, "We can do better than this."
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But one gun rights supporter and YouTube user parodied the MAIG PSA by splicing each celebrity's pro-gun control statement with footage of each actor using guns in shows and movies. "They make millions from an industry that thrives on gun entertainment and films that glorify violence or trivialize gun safety," the video parody's creator, using the name "Mike Hunt," explained in the caption.
Hunt told EW that he hoped his parody would "turn the microscope back on [the actors'] hypocritical industry."
“When I first saw the original video plastered on the front-page of Youtube I was immediately struck by the irony of their entire campaign. Here are a bunch of vapid Hollywood celebrities attempting to shame the public into submitting to more gun control. Their entire industry profits from a culture of violence and gun entertainment," he said.
Hunt's spoof echoes the National Rifle Association's recent claims that violent movies and video games contributed to the increase in mass shootings over the last few years.
"A child growing up in America witnesses 16,000 murders and 200,000 acts of violence by the time he or she reaches the ripe old age of 18," the NRA's Wayne LaPierre said in a news conference responding to the December 14 Newtown massacre. The Hollywood Reporter pointed out Wednesday that the NRA's National Firearms Museum has a "vast collection" of guns used in famous films.
[Via Entertainment Weekly.]
