Washington, D.C., June 20, 2023 – On Monday, during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Brady President Kris Brown announced a new "Free America from Gun Violence" culture change campaign, which aims to harness the power of creative ad agencies to change the cultural narrative about guns in America.
The campaign’s goal is to shift the existing cultural narrative, from viewing firearms as glamorized instruments of personal safety and patriotism, to a more balanced view that highlights the risks, dangers and consequences of these deadly weapons. To change this narrative, influenced by decades of National Rifle Association (NRA) propaganda, Brady aims to partner with advertising and media companies to develop new content to achieve this, including commercials and digital advertisements.
Brown told industry leaders:
“America and many other nations have successfully tackled public health challenges through creative culture change efforts, from smoking to seat belts to drunk driving.
“Together, we will shift the dominant cultural narrative – from viewing guns as instruments of personal safety and freedom that must not be regulated in any way, to a more balanced view that guns are inherently dangerous and must be managed more responsibly like other dangerous products.”
The new partnered content will revolve around three pillars: challenging the gun industry’s lies about firearms; highlighting the importance of safe storage practices in preventing “family fire;” and creating the political pressure needed to enact common-sense legislative change.
The campaign is the latest in Brady’s efforts to change the culture around gun violence in the U.S. Last month, as part of its “Show Gun Safety” campaign, Brady organized a White House roundtable featuring nearly two dozen actors, directors, and showrunners about the role Hollywood can play in combating the gun violence epidemic. Brady’s “End Family Fire” campaign uses public service announcements to reach gun-owning households to promote safe storage practices. ThisIsOurLane, Brady’s physician-led program, is mobilizing health practitioners to address gun violence as a public health crisis.
Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.
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