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The Twist In This Chilling PSA Will Change How You Think About Gun Violence

by Rosey Baker

It's been almost four years since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School took place, and with little to no progress made on gun reform by our government officials, parents of the victims at Sandy Hook have teamed up with community members to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again.

Newtown parents Nicole Hockley and Mark Barden have launched Sandy Hook Promise, a national nonprofit organization that provides programs and practices to protect children and prevent gun violence.

They released a PSA this week designed to open the eyes of the public to the warning signs of gun violence.

It features a blossoming young romance set in a school library, beginning with a teenage boy named Evan scribbling, "I'm bored" on the library desk.

Evan later returns to see, "Hi bored, how are you?" written in feminine cursive.

So begins Evan's school age romance with his unknown love.

At the end of the year while signing yearbooks, the pair finally meet. But, their meeting is interrupted by a school shooter and the sound of an assault rifle being cocked.

YouTube

The PSA then goes over every shot of the video again, highlighting a seemingly invisible, nameless boy in the background, clearly exhibiting signs of violent behavior.

He's in the library watching YouTube videos about guns, on Evan's Instagram feed with a gun in hand and in the classroom pretending to shoot the teacher with his fingers as she walks by.

YouTube

The PSA urges its viewers to know the signs of gun violence because with 549,380 acts of gun violence occurring each year, it's the least we can do to try to stop it.

The government itself has a long way to go before we enact lasting gun reform and control. But, the parents of the Sandy Hook victims have taught us a lesson in everything they have done since the tragedy.

They've used their grief to take matters into their own hands. They've taken control over what they can.

By educating the public, they are out to stop gun violence before it starts.

They aren't just trying to remove the weapons. They're trying to address the wounds that makes these individuals reach for a weapon in the first place.

It's time we all #KnowTheSigns.