Amy Schumer has released a sketch about gun control that was considered too dark to air on Inside Amy Schumer. But the deleted sketch is an incisive takedown of the horrors of gun violence and the Senate’s inaction on the issue, and focuses on the helplessness of victims both during and after the shootings. In the wake of the Senate’s failure to pass gun control measures yet again, Schumer released the deleted sketch, which stars H. Jon Benjamin as a personal injury lawyer named Tony Shrak.
“Have you been injured in a mass shooting or other gun crime? Do you want justice?” Benjamin asks in a perfect parody of those low-budget local lawyer commercials that promise to put cash in the pockets of people who have been hurt. “Hi, I’m Toby Shrak of the law firm of Shrak and Murphy. But don’t call me, because there’s nothing I can do.” Then frustrated victims share their stories, and Shrak confirms their beliefs that nothing can really be done to help them. Workplace harassment? He’s got you covered. Lead poisoning? No problem. Victim of a mass shooting or gun violence? He can’t help you there, but at least he’s haunted by his impotence in the matter.
The sketch was originally supposed to air as part of Inside Amy Schumer’s “Welcome To The Gun Show,” which also went after gun law loopholes with a sketch spoofing home shopping shows (this particular version of QVC specializes in handguns). “I am sickened by the cowardice of these people who are supposed to lead us,” Schumer told Politico about the Senate’s inaction. “Their dedication seems to be only to dollar signs for their own pockets. In November, we will remember who stood with the gun lobby, rather than their constituents, as we mourned for Orlando.”