(Screen Capture: YouTube.com/SandyHookPromise)
Sandy Hook Promise, a gun-safety advocacy group founded by parents of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting, has just released a new back-to-school PSA that is drawing intense criticism from gun rights activists. Why?
The ad features students showing off their new school gear like backpacks, binders and jackets as a school shooting erupts, prompting the items to take on unintended uses.
“These new sneakers are just what I needed for the new year,” a student running from a shooter says.
“These new socks? They can be a real lifesaver,” another student says as she uses them for a tourniquet on a classmate wounded by a bullet.
The clip concludes with a girl crying in the bathroom as she texts her mother that she loves her, before the door opens and the sound of footsteps can be heard.
“I finally got my own phone to stay in touch with my mom,” she says as tears stream down her face.
“Back to School Essentials,” is part of Sandy Hook Promise’s “Know the Signs” campaign, which aims to encourage students, parents, and teachers to learn the signs of a potential school shooter and intervene prior to a tragedy.
To say the ad is emotionally powerful is an understatement; it’s brutal. And while Sandy Hook Promise has released other ads that advocate for red flag laws and expanded background checks, their latest PSA keeps the focus on awareness and intervention. What’s controversial about that?
WIBC host Tony Katz elaborates in today’s Popcorn Moment.
