Independent filmmaker Rejina Sincic has released a new gun control ad that provides kids with some of the worst advice about guns. In what she describes as a PSA meant to “reduce gun violence in schools and communities,” Sincic encourages kids to take guns from their parents and bring them to school.
The video shows a teenage boy quietly entering his mom’s room, taking a gun from her dresser drawer (it’s unclear if it’s loaded or not), putting it in his backpack, and then bringing it to school. After class, he waits for the other students to leave, places the gun on the teacher’s desk, and says, “Can you take this away? I don’t feel safe with a gun at home.” Watch the full ad below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VFOhBAH3zPA
Unfortunately, what this gun control ad depicts versus what would actually happen in the real world are two completely different scenarios.
Bearing Arms points out: “In the real world, such an act would result in the boy facing numerous felony charges (exact charges depend on state laws) possibly including weapons theft, unlawful possession of a weapon by a minor, illegal concealed carry of a weapon, carrying a weapon onto school property, assault, and brandishing.”
Imagine if children everywhere decided to follow the advice of this ad. Hundreds of thousands of children would be bringing guns to schools and would thus be facing expulsion and potential felony charges. These guns could also potentially be loaded representing a huge safety risk for both teachers and students.
If you want to be an activist and want to encourage a cultural shift, encouraging kids to steal from their parents’ and take guns to school endangering themselves and others in the process is probably not the right kind of gun control ad to use to do it.
[photo credit: ScaarAT via photopin cc]