Sandy Hook PSA

[Koda94]

While we watch Evan's story, a darker tale is unfolding in the background: the evolution of a school shooter. But unless you're watching closely, you'll miss it. And that's kind of the point of the PSA.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/02/health/sandy-hook-gun-violence-psa-trnd/index.html


I'm curious what others think about this PSA portraying someone who is considering gun violence? In the background is the story of the soon to be shooter showing symptoms of gun violence. One of those symptoms is being bullied, I agree this is something that could be a sign...

But also is shown the presumptive shooter to be viewing a gun magazine, then a gun website. My though was those were like hitting us responsible gun owners below the belt, as if anyone reading a gun magazine or website has issues, including a teenager.


My opinion is that bullying can be a legitimate symptom, or cause, but there are way more other greatly more important symptoms to look for than focusing mostly on the gun as this PSA did, that this PSA is really doing an injustice to what would otherwise be a good message.

 

[jonnyc]

I'm a public high school teacher. Lots of BS in that whole premise. Kids have always had issues, they've always been bullied, and they've always had access to guns. School gun violence is a modern and much more complicated issue than they portray. And no, it is not always preventable. We need to be better prepared for it when all that prevention plainly doesn't work.

 

[dahermit]

What is a "PSA"?

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Public Service Announcement

 

[Koda94]

the thing about that PSA that rubbed me the wrong way it it made me remember when I was a teen I loved my lever rifle my dad bought me for deer hunting. I used to read gun magazines then and always wanted to go target shooting. My friend from high school eventually bought an AR15 carbine, (this was long before the current trend in AR15s) and we used to go outdoors and shoot it, it was fun and we were responsible.

so nowadays if you take your teenager shooting and he likes your AR15 he will get branded as psycho and watched and reported if he slips up and is caught looking at gun websites or forbid an old fashioned gun magazine.

 

[Colorado Redneck]

"News" like the CNN piece is just fabricated balony. Mainly it is bait to increase viewers. And whether there is any authentic insight or not is irrelevant to most of the audience.

 

[pnac]

That it comes from CNN says it all, they try to put an anti-freedom, anti-personal responsibility spin on everything.

 

[Metal god]

I don't know , I kinda liked it . Very interesting to me seeing how I missed every "sign" except the guy with a gun on twitter or face book . I'll add I did not read the article or this thread before watching so I did not know to watch what was going on in the background . I took it as showing how when one only focuses on what's in front of you . You miss all the peripheral stuff going on . Situational awareness right , we or most of us preach it but that PSA for me reminded me it's more then me being aware of my immediate surroundings . I should pay attention to the peripherals as well .

I could see that same PSA talking about terrorism with just a minor tweak and nobody would have an issue with it .

Anyways I'm OK with it . I mean yes some context could help by showing that you're looking for the cumulative signs and not just one or two but on the whole it got me to think about it more .

 

[1stmar]

I liked it as well. It's about looking for things that are out of character. Profiling essentially but I bet the ones who generally are opposed to profiling would be ok with this sort. If a kid took a sudden interest in guns AND was being bullied AND perhaps first person shooter games etc. Those are the triggers. One item in itself, gun interest included, is not a concern. I bet bullying is a common theme for a very high percentage of these kids. And yes I agree bullying has gone on forever, but times change and I believe gaming is a piece of it. It feeds the fantasy and likely desensitives them.

 

[Koda94]

I can agree with those comments, the message has a good intention and was well delivered. I agree that part of the problem is people don't realize or see whats going on in the background and add things up to identify a problem.

A kid that shows signs of depression, being bullied and perhaps suddenly interested in guns... ok

But I just thought there was an imbalance of the symptoms in the PSA towards guns, like 3 gun specifics to two other and more important symptoms. The PSA is going out on a limb suggesting that an over interest in guns is the tipping point... and a potential shooter might not be showing that symptom at all.

 

[ballardw]

If they, CNN, do not have a PSA on teen suicide prevention then the main motive is very questionable.


Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for ages 10-24. (2014 CDC WISQARS)
Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for college-age youth and ages 12-18. (2014 CDC WISQARS)
More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, COMBINED.
Each day in our nation, there are an average of over 5,240 attempts by young people grades 7-12.
Four out of Five teens who attempt suicide have given clear warning signs

And number one cause of death is "accidents" involving motor vehicles.

Or https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...BV7S0aFp7V6sk0mmUyaeyA&bvm=bv.139782543,d.cGc

 

[Hal]

I'm curious what others think about this PSA portraying someone who is considering gun violence?

First and foremost - - - get rid of the stupid made up term "gun violence".
Quit using it and urge, if not demand, that others - especially gun owners - make a big stink about it.

OSU had an incidence of violence just last week. Some scum drove a car into a crowd then jumped out with a knife and starter to stab and slash them.
First thing out of Kain's mouth?
"Senseless act of gun violence".
Just like a perfect little automaton.

By his reasoning, what should it have been?
Car violence?
Knife violence?
Sounds stupid doesn't it?

Why is this seemingly trivial thing so important?
Because the very next step to the process of gun control, after the bogus term "gun violence" is ingrained is this:
"The families of nine of the Sandy Hook victims filed a lawsuit against the gun manufacture, but it was dismissed. On Thursday, the Connecticut Supreme Court said it will hear an appeal from the families."

All in all as a PSA, I believe it sends the wrong message.

The gun in the act of violence isn't & shouldn't be the focus.
The focus should be on the act itself & until the anti gun crowd sees that, these acts of violence will just continue.

 

[Koda94]

First and foremost - - - get rid of the stupid made up term "gun violence".
Quit using it and urge, if not demand, that others - especially gun owners - make a big stink about it.

agree. I normally put that term within quotes, to denote its not really what they make it out to be. I forgot this time...

All in all as a PSA, I believe it sends the wrong message.

The gun in the act of violence isn't & shouldn't be the focus.
The focus should be on the act itself & until the anti gun crowd sees that, these acts of violence will just continue.

yeah, I agree. The PSA was otherwise well done but in my opinion focused too much on the gun and that takes away from the real problem. it gets people looking for someone troubled whos interested in guns and not the same troubled person who is not.

 

[44 AMP]

it gets people looking for someone troubled whos interested in guns and not the same troubled person who is not.

OR (and??) it gets people thinking someone who's interested in guns is a troubled person....

That's the subliminal message. If you have any visible interest in (real) firearms, they you must be a ticking time bomb of a mass killer just waiting to happen...

While nearly all modern definition sources refer primarily to the sexual content, pornography isn't just sexual material, its also any art or literature someone finds offensive and wants suppressed. These people feel that firearms literature is a kind of pornography, they think its the gateway to what they call "gun violence".

Gun magazines and online info are their idea of "dirty pictures", and if you look at them, they consider you a sicko...

and not their approved kind of sicko, either...

I wouldn't call it a PSA, I call it a PPA. (Public Propaganda Announcement)

 

[Metal god]

44AMP : I'm saddened to say I agree with you . It's more likely then not ( Tom Brady ) that what you say is in fact there agenda . How ever a reasonable person "should" be able to see through that and take away the lesson it was so called meant to convey . I did anyways .

 

[griz]

Is being suspicious, or thinking less of a person, just for looking at a magazine another form of bullying?

 

[Tom Servo]

But also is shown the presumptive shooter to be viewing a gun magazine, then a gun website.

In the late 1980's, Handgun Control Inc. sent literature to the human resource departments of most major corporations warning them to be on the lookout for potential workplace shooters. The leading indicator was an interest in firearms and/or firearms publications. They went further to claim that allowing firearms in the workplace was tantamount to encouraging violence. It stuck, and companies started banning guns from their property.

They're just rehashing that approach here, but in a different venue. If a teenager has any involvement with guns, he must be an unstable powderkeg, on the verge of horrific violence.

 

[Metal god]

It seems even we in the gun community like to only see what we want to see . Only one of those so called signs was of the kid having gun interests . The rest was him being bullied , posting photos pointing a gun at the camera , flipping off a girl when she friendly asked a question , Appeared to have no friends , mimicking shooting the teacher . How are those things just a simple kid taking a liking to guns ? Some here are acting like all that video had was a guy looking a gun magazine . Put all those things together "and" a sudden interest in guns and you might want to look twice at that guy .

 

[Koda94]

Only one of those so called signs was of the kid having gun interests .

I saw 3 symptoms directly related to guns alone. I could agree with the "gangster selfie" instagram photo, as I would never let my kids post like that.....
Its not that the symptom of suddenly being interested in guns should be ignored but that looking at a gun magazine or website shouldnt be viewed as bad....

I thought the PSA over emphasised the gun as the primary indicator... They could have shown 3 more instances of bullying, or any other symptom and it would have driven the point home better. We need to learn the reasons why someone goes crazy, not get blinded by the way they act it out... And miss the person who uses a car and butcher knife....

 

[Skans]

gun violence

It's funny, I don't object to folks using the term "assault weapon", but I do object to this Anti-created phrase "gun violence". Guns aren't violent. People who own guns and use them aren't violent. Criminals who use guns, knives, fists, cars, bombs, etc. to commit crimes are violent. As if "gun violence" is a special type of violence which is caused by owning or being around guns.