Brady United is collaborating with more than 200 working mothers in the entertainment industry on a new campaign called #FiredUp, urging that Hollywood include more depictions of gun safety in scripts.
The campaign is being led by a group including producer and executive Jen Gorton, producer and executive Stacy Calabrese and writer Jessica Kantor. In a statement, Gorton said that they “hope by engaging with people in all aspects of TV and filmmaking, on all levels, we can change the culture from the ground up.” The idea is to shift perspective on the depiction of guns and gun safety in the same way that the industry highlighted drunk driving, smoking and seatbelt use.
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Brady president Kris Brown said that the “first ask” of the group is to write gun safety messages in scripts, including characters locking away firearms. Brady United already has been in the midst of a “Show Gun Safety” campaign, engaging with Hollywood creatives to change “the cultural narrative of firearms in America.” The groups are holding an event at CAA today.
Also involved is Hollywood, Health & Society at USC Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center, which earlier this year released Trigger Warning: Gun Guidelines for the Media. The report found that nearly one in three episodes of popular TV shows featured at least one character discharging a firearm.
Among the recommendations: “Humanize and diversify depictions of those affected by gun violence. Nuanced depictions of shooting victims can make audiences care about gun violence as a public issue.” They also warn of “heavy handed’ stories that “can be alienating to gun owners who feel their freedoms are being threatened, or their beliefs mocked. Instead of making gun owners the antagonist, appeal to the common values shared by parents and others who care about keeping children safe.”
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