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Ad of the Day: Here's What Happens When You Open a Gun Store in the Middle of NYC
First-time gun buyers on the Lower East Side
States United to Prevent Gun Violence and its agency, Grey New York, have teamed up for some truly hard-hitting PSAs, including 2013's famous "Ed" spot, which won a Silver Lion in Film at Cannes. Now, they've moved on to a new tactic—a social experiment set in the real world.
They did what they're calling "the unthinkable"—opened a real-looking gun store on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and invited first-time gun buyers to check it out, with hidden cameras rolling.
To create drama, they put disturbing tags on each weapon, indicating which models were used in particular mass shootings, unintentional shootings, homicides and suicides. Needless to say, the fresh-faced buyers end up looking rather pallid by the end, and aren't quite as excited to head home with a firearm.
The point of the PSA is to debunk the perception, held by six in 10 Americans, that owning a firearm makes a home safer. In fact, according to studies, those who own a gun—and those around them—have an increased risk of injury and death.
There's a sense here of preaching to the choir. These folks are awfully quick to backtrack from their desire to own a weapon, and the NYC setting might not do much to convince people in less liberal places to consider changing their views.
But it does, at least, suggest—indeed, demonstrate—that minds can be changed on the matter. And it's chilling in the video to see the actual guns that were used in notorious crimes, and must have been that much more so in person.
"Our goal is to educate those looking to purchase a firearm and ensure they are aware of the potential risks [and to promote responsible gun ownership]," says Julia Wyman, executive director of States United To Prevent Gun Violence.
"Often gun purchasers wrongly believe guns will keep them safe when in fact a gun in the home greatly increases the risk of homicide and suicide. This sets the record straight so consumers can make an informed choice to buy a firearm or not."
CREDITS Client: States United to Prevent Gun Violence Agency: Grey, New York Tor Myhren: Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Per Pedersen: Deputy Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Andreas Dahlqvist: Chief Creative Officer Stephen Krauss: Executive Creative Director Ari Halper: Executive Creative Director Marco Pupo: Creative Director Joao Coutinho: Creative Director Bennett McCarroll: EVP Director Broadcast Production Floyd Russ: Producer Elizabeth Gilchrist: VP Account Director Katie Stirn: Account Supervisor Emma Tonetti: Project Manager Christopher Izzo: Digital Production Jayne Horowitz: VP Art Producer Production Company: Rival School Pictures Andrew Lane: Director James Blom: Executive Producer/Partner Alihan Karagul: Executive Producer/Partner Editorial: Visiojn Editor: Dominic Martimucci Postproduction: The Mill
