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Lambert, Vedder, Mraz sign gun control letter

( / Adam Lambert associated press photo by jordan strauss invision AP)
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At least four San Diego-bred vocal stars — Jason Mraz, “American Idol” alum Adam Lambert, jazz-soul sensation Gregory Porter and Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder — have signed an open letter in Billboard magazine urging the members of Congress to switftly enact meaningful gun control measures. The letter is entitled “An Open Letter to Congress: Stop Gun Violence Now.”

“We are adding our voices to the chorus of Americans demanding change,” states the letter. It is also signed by everyone from Jennifer Lopez, Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks and Demi Lovato to Michael Bublé, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, former One Direction singer Zayn Malik and Canada’s k.d. lang, who on Wednesday night kicked off her 2016 summer concert tour with a show at San Diego’s Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.

Other musicians who signed the open letter include Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron, who is a Chula Vista native, Pearl jam guitarist Mike McCready, a former Del Mar resident, and all three members of the Dixie Chicks, who perform July 15 at San Diego’s Sleep Train Amphitheatre. They are joined in the open letter by an unusually diverse array of musicians, ranging from Katy Perry, Beastie Boys’ co-founder Mike D, Shakira, and jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard to hip-hop innovator Talib Kweli and two former Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the latter of who performs a sold-out show in San Diego at Humphreys on July 1

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Here is the text of the letter in its entirety:

AN OPEN LETTER TO CONGRESS:

STOP GUN VIOLENCE NOW

As leading artists and executives in the music industry, we are adding our voices to the chorus of Americans demanding change.

Music always has been celebrated communally, on dance floors 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.

We call on Congress to do more to prevent the gun violence that kills more than 90 Americans every day and injures hundreds more, including:

Require a background check for every gun sale

Block suspected terrorists from buying guns

Billboard and the undersigned implore you—the people who are elected to represent us—to close the deadly loopholes that put the lives of so many music fans, and all of us, at risk.

Sincerely,

The letter was written in the wake of this month’s mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub that left 49 dead, and the murder, a night earlier in Orlando, of young pop singer singer Christina Grimmi. It was written with the support of the organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

The letter will be delivered to all 535 members of Congress and calls on them to “close the deadly loopholes” in the current gun laws that threaten lives.

In a statement, Janice Min, the chief creative officer of The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group said: “Like it was for millions of Americans, the Orlando shooting was a traumatic moment for people across the music industry. The victims of that terrible massacre were celebrating with the music that inspired them.

“With this letter, the artists and executives who signed ask not for guns to be taken away from law-abiding citizens, but for guns to be taken out of dangerous hands. Like the majority of the country, the industry begs Congress to act.

“Of course, since Congress has failed to act despite a majority of Americans supporting at least some restrictions on gun purchases, an open letter from a slew of pop stars probably won’t make a difference. But it should at least broaden the conversation. And if all the stars who signed the letter begin advocating on their respective social media sites, potentially hundreds of millions of music fans may also weigh in with their opinions on gun control, pro or con.”

To see all of the signatures in the open letter, go to this Billboard link.

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