On September 18, 2019, a PSA from Sandy Hook Promise, an organization aimed at ending violence formed by the parents of the Sandy Hook school shooting victims.
In this PSA, students are showing the new school supplies their parents have bought them. The PSA begins to take a turn from a back to school shopping commercial to every student's worst nightmare.
As a school shooting is taking place we see several children talk about their school supplies. One talks about how scissors are handy, as she waits by a closed door. Another speaks about her new socks as she wraps them around another student's wound.
This PSA quickly went viral, with several news stations picking it up and airing it. Everyone was shocked.
This video is not an exaggeration, unfortunately, it's the sad reality we live in today.
Students are scared, from kindergarten all the way to college. No one feels safe going to school. Many students have thought about how they would defend themselves if they were placed in this situation.
This PSA shows the stark reality we are living in. If you're shocked, good. You should be.
You should be shocked that our government continues to let these things happen. Do they cause these tragedies? No. But they for sure aren't stopping them.
Gun reform needs to happen and it needs to happen fast.
If you're against gun reform, ask yourself are you okay with living in a world like this:
A world where children are afraid to go to school.
A world where children are afraid to wear light-up shoes because they might be seen. A world where they have to think about what school supplies would be handy if a tragedy occurred.
Students do not want to be scared anymore. We just want to be in school, not war.