Classroom lockdown drills—at my first grader's school and every other school in America—have become the norm since the tragedy at Newtown, two years ago this Sunday. The powerfully sad PSA below from Grey Toronto, unveiled today, takes place during just such a lockdown—and highlights a depressing statistic: There have been nearly 100 school shootings since Newtown, yet there has been almost no movement on gun control.
The end line nicely captures what has changed since Newtown—the level of fear in classrooms with young children. A 60-second version of the ad will air in digital and broadcast media leading up to the anniversary of the Newtown massacre.
"The inconceivably tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook woke up millions of Americans to our country's pervasive culture of gun violence," Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said in a statement. "We do not send our children to school to learn how to hide from gunmen, nor should we expect sharpshooting to be a job requirement for educators. For far too long, our lawmakers have asked children and teachers to stand up to gunmen because they are too afraid to stand up to the gun lobby."
Watts adds: "You may not have heard about all of these shooting incidents on the national news, but when a lockdown is announced over a school intercom—for whatever reason—it strikes fear across the community. We will not allow the constant threat of gun violence at our schools to become the new normal—it's time our elected leaders take a stand for the safety and future of our children."
CREDITS
Client: Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
Agency: Grey Toronto
Chief Creative Officer: Patrick Scissons
Copywriter: Patrick Scissons
Agency Producer: Erica Metcalfe
Account Director: Darlene Remlinger
Production Company: Untitled Films
Director: Phil Brown
Director of Photography: John Houtman
Executive Producer: Lexy Kavluk
Producer: Trudy Turner
Editing: Griff Henderson, Saints
Audio: Roc Gagliese, Nathan Handy, Eggplant
Colorist: Wade Odium, Alter Ego
Online: Marco Polsinelli, Topix VFX
Casting: Jigsaw Casting