Sarah Wynter
“The fact that we have had 220 school shootings since Sandy Hook is outrageous. Something has to stop. Something has to give. Children are more important than your right to own a gun, with no permit - no matter who you are,” says Sarah Wynter, the actress who is featured in Goliath opposite Billy Bob Thornton.
Wynter, known for her roles in the various television series including 24, Californication and Sex and The City, is also a staunch advocate for gun control. She serves as a Chapter Leader for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, (a division of Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety) which was formed after the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy.
“I had young children in school and I was living in America and I couldn’t believe this happened. I was just horrified that no bill was passed to increase any gun safety measures. Nothing. Even though 20 six-year old’s were shot dead and six educators. So I got very angry.”
Wynter has lived in America for 25 years but originally grew up in Australia. As a mother, Wynter says that the more she learnt how easy it is to get a gun in America, the more involved she got. “It is outrageous to me that our children have to do lock down drills at school…because Congress won’t pass decent legislation,” she says.
In this interview, Wynter shares why adequate gun control is a critical issue that everyone needs to get behind.
Michelle King: What is Mothers Demand Action For Gun Sense In America, all about?
Sarah Wynter: Shannon Watts started Mothers Demand Action the day after Sandy Hook. She figured something along the lines of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which really changed the face of drunk driving. They campaigned and successfully brought in drunk driving laws. It took a bunch of mums (go figure) to get things going. There are now 3 million members and we are really making waves. It is hard to say no to mothers and fathers who will do anything to protect their children.
King: What is your organizations position on the Second Amendment?
Wynter: We are staunch supporters of the second amendment, all we would like is for people to have background checks so that obvious people should not be allowed to get their hands on a gun. We have many members who are veterans, gun owners, gun enthusiasts and they all support background checks.
Michelle King: Is the focus on school shootings alone?
School shootings are one thing, but suicides are another. There are, on average, 12,000 suicides by gun every year in the United States. When people try to commit suicide, and fail, nine times out of ten they don’t try again. With a gun, you don’t get a second chance. Also, you know 50 women are shot to death every month by their partner or husband - I just find that unbelievable.
Michelle King: What are the key things your organization is trying to do?
We are working hard to get universal background checks. So far we have eight states… that have background checks. That leaves a lot of states that do not. Also we also want to close the gun show loop hole. People who go to a gun show can buy a gun without a background check. People can buy fire arms online without a background check. And Congress just introduced a very dangerous bill called Concealed Carry Reciprocity that would allow all 50 states to permit stalkers, domestic abusers to carry hidden loaded guns in public - even the blind or mentally ill. We are encouraging people to call their constituents and vote no.
Michelle King: Why should people get involved?
It is not just the 30,000 people a year who die, it is every single person around that person who is impacted - so it is everyone’s problem. If you don’t become part of the solution you are complicit in the problem because it is going to take all of us to fix it. Anyone can go onto our website or volunteer. But whatever you do get involved… because it is not going away.