Billboard magazine have addressed an open letter to the US Congress imploring it to close loopholes in gun laws. The letter has been signed by over 150 musicians including Paul McCartney, Thom Yorke, Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson and Ringo Starr.
Part of the letter reads, "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 letter has been written in the hope of ending gun violence and closing loopholes in gun laws in the US in the wake of the Orlando shooting. Earlier this month Omar Mateen opened fire with an assault rifle in a gay nightclub in the city killing 49 people.
The letter also says, "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 [and] block suspected terrorists from buying guns. The campaign has been running under the #DISARMHATE hashtag online.

We're with @Everytown & @Billboard to #DisarmHate! Go to https://t.co/zeR1wTH3x2 to learn more about stopping gun violence.

— Pearl Jam (@PearlJam) June 23, 2016

Lady Gaga joins Billboard and other music artists and executives in an open letter to Congress to stop gun violence. pic.twitter.com/7AYdozTgzd

— Lady Gaga (@gagamonster96) June 23, 2016

Dear Friends,
Join us today to #DISARMHATE
Learn more at https://t.co/L4rcrqpS9b
love, yoko pic.twitter.com/gwXFTsL17x

— Yoko Ono (@yokoono) June 23, 2016