Nineteen children and two teachers were murdered at a Texas elementary school just ten days after 10 African-Americans were murdered in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.
Where does TV
content and advertising fit in? Politicians across the country in TV commercials can be found proudly brandishing guns they might use for hunting -- or another purpose -- while campaigning. Those ads
have no problem getting played on TV networks and stations.
What if other kinds of content could play right after some political messages -- perhaps images or footage showing not just what is
really happening in schools, churches, synagogue and stores in America but the residual after-event effects of gun violence? Another side of gun ownership.
Why more video and memories of hurt
and pain? Because there is no more time to waste. It might drive home a point.
Recently, we have seen graphic video on TV networks of deceased Ukrainian citizens who were shot and killed while
out on the street -- walking or biking, or going to the store. Each time a similar message appears: “Warning: Graphic Video.”
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That video is, in fact, difficult to watch. But it has
a specific use. Other video -- not necessarily graphic, but more revealing, on TV would perhaps have a longer-term impact. Otherwise, it’s out of sight, out of mind.
Ask yourself why
this happens exponentially more often in this country compared to everywhere else in the word. Yes, other countries grapple with the issue of dealing with mentally ill citizens --- young and old -- as
well. They are not different from us in that regard. But they have something else: Stronger gun laws.
In this country, those same mentally ill people have easy access to guns. After the age of
18, in some states, you can buy an AR-15 -- a military-style gun -- with no training, license, or background check. And the purpose of that weapon? Fill in your answer.
In the coming days
we’ll continue to see more video of that Texas elementary school, and law enforcement officers milling around. And then memorial pictures of victims. A few weeks from now, we might not be
thinking about Uvalde, Texas.
Do you want real change? Perhaps more video -- for the long term -- showing that a deeper gun-related perspective is needed.