A series of new public service announcements for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence by Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness and production company Wondros, might just be some of the most unnerving and polarising ads ever produced for the organisation, which is really saying something given their track record. Directed by Mark Pellington, who counts amongst his filmography the similarly themed and divisive video for Pearl Jam's “Jeremy,” the 60-second ads use real mass shootings as an example and cast the blame not at the shooters, or those that sold them the weapons, but at the general American public who voted for the politicians who still refuse to change the country's antiquated gun laws.
CSGV – Youth
The moody and darkly coloured spots each feature regular US citizens learning of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado cinema massacre and the 2007 Virginia Tech killings, with the blunt and (some might say) not-so-subtle visual metaphor of blood dripping from their hands on to their newspapers and mobile phones. The grim, monotone voiceover says “You did not buy the guns. You did not load the bullets. You did not empty the chamber. But you voted. You voted for politicians that refused to support common-sense gun laws. Vote only for candidates who would fight to reduce gun violence. Gun control is in our hands.” Perhaps most shocking of all is the fact Pellington chose to use real audio clips from newscasters reporting at the time of each shooting, lending a tragic realism to the spots. The message is undeniably sincere, but the heavy-handed imagery and audience guilt-tripping will probably not sit well with many Americans, pro and anti gun voters alike.
Photo: Mark Pellington
“You did not buy the guns. You did not load the bullets. You did not empty the chamber. But you voted. Gun control is in our hands.”
The organisation posit these PSAs as part of a “Campaign for rational gun regulations,” meaning new, stricter rules regarding universal background checks, internet gun sales (yes, you really can buy guns online in the US) and gun show regulations. The biggest proponents of these new regulations so far have been Senator Joe Manchin, gun control proponents Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly, and business magnate Michael Bloomberg, with few political figures willing to speak out seemingly in fear of alienating their supporters.
CSGV – Diner
Though choosing a side given the UK's completely contrary stance on gun control, it's easy to fall on the side of the CSGV when you factor in the statistic: 86 American citizens are killed as a result of gun violence every single day, with a further 308 injured on average. It's the leading cause of death amongst African-American and Latino males and a leading cause of suicides. In fact, if firearm fatalities continue to increase at the current rate, they will statistically pass automobile accidents as a cause of death in the US next year.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK who is very glad indeed that gun control isn't a problem in his home town. The average Saturday night out would probably look a little like the final scene in Scarface.
