As Perceived Need for Personal Protection Spurs Record Levels of U.S. Adults Purchasing Firearms for the First Time, New PSA Emphasizes Need to Store Guns Safely

Today as a part of the national awardwinning End Family Fire program Brady United Against Gun Violence and the Ad Council have released a new public service advertisement PSA developed by advertising agency Pereira O39Dell in an effort to raise awareness among the millions of new gun owners in the US about the importance of secure firearm storage to prevent gunrelated deaths and injuries This comes at a critical moment as firearms have become the number one killer of children and teens in the US and secure gun storage is proven to help protect our loved ones and communitiesAccording to recent data approximately 75 million adults in America acquired their first firearm between 20192021 with 54 million adults bringing firearms into homes that were previously gun free This spike in firsttime gun ownership tracks with record high gun deaths with more Americans dying from gun violence in 2020 and 2021 than in any prior year on record What many individuals don39t know is that simply storing a firearm securely is a proven method of preventing gunrelated deaths and injuries including unintentional shootings gun suicide and intentional shootings For example in 75 of youth firearm suicides for which the gun storage method could be identified the gun was stored loaded and unlocked Additionally 76 of school shooters under the age of 18 accessed the gun from the home of family or friends Tragedies like these could be prevented by limiting firearm access through secure storageThe new PSA campaign is focused on reaching audiences of new gun owners defined as US adults who acquired their first firearm in 2020 or later who according to a 2023 survey fielded by CR Research on behalf of the Ad Council overwhelmingly acquire firearms for personal protection This same study also revealed that only 54 of firsttime gun owners report storing all firearms in the home locked and unloaded demonstrating a critical need for targeted messaging for these audiences on the importance of safe storageDeveloped pro bono by fullservice advertising agency Pereira O39Dell the new campaign illustrates the kinds of safety threats that improperly stored firearms can pose within the home especially to children Filmed from the point of view of unsecured firearms in common places where many new gun owners keep their firearms the video demonstrates that gun owners seeking to protect their loved ones might overlook the threat of family fire or a shooting that results from someone misusing an unsecured firearm from the homeWATCH THE PSA HERE httpsyoutubeBf1VJsprzQ8siIfEgokTncBHGx0N5However it39s not only this rise in firearm ownership and devastating impact of gun violence that is notable but also the demographics of those more recently acquiring firearms According to a 2021 survey from the Annals of Internal Medicine nearly half of new gun owners are female 47 percent 4 in 10 first time gun owners were between the ages of 3044 and 20 percent of new gun owners were Black and 20 percent were Hispanic between 20192021 This is a significant shift from historical demographics of gun owners which have been majority white and male The new PSA intentionally speaks directly to these audiences of new gun owners encouraging them to keep their homes and communities safequotGun owners want to put their family and safety first and that is admirablequot said Brady President Kris Brown quotOur polling shows that nearly 80 of people who recently bought their first firearm did so for personal safety and often a conviction to protect their family and loved ones But given our country39s recordlevel spikes in gunrelated deaths and injuries from with the home amp8212 including unintentional shootings of children and firearm suicide amp8212 it is crucial that firsttime gun owners learn how to store their weapons safely By sharing messages on safe firearm storage we can prevent tragedies of family firequotquotWith the rise in firsttime gun ownership across the US it39s more important than ever to ensure that these new gun owners understand the lifesaving importance of secure storagequot said Pereira O39Dell39s Chief Creative Officer Jason Apaliski quotCreativity can be a powerful force for change especially when it comes to critical issues like gun safety Through this campaign we aim to address the potential dangers of improperly stored firearms and to inspire responsible gun ownership that protects families and communities We39re proud to partner with Brady and the Ad Council to help make a real impact on reducing gunrelated tragediesquotFor the last six years End Family Fire has educated gun owners around the importance of securely storing firearms According to an Ad Council study respondents who are aware of End Family Fire are three times more likely to report seeking information on secure gun storage in the past 12 months compared to those not aware 36 aware vs 11 not aware Source Ad Council online survey of 1815 US adults who reside in gunowning households fielded by Ipsos April 1 2024 June 30 2024 The End Family Fire program brings gun owners into the conversation about gun violence in the US and makes them part of the solution driving a culture of responsible gun ownershipTo date End Family Fire has garnered over 124 million in donated media and over 53 billion impressions This new creative aimed at reaching firsttime gun owners will run across broadcast TV social digital online video radio out of home and print media nationwide in time and space donated by the media Additional forthcoming audio assets will be produced by SiriusXM Media39s Studio Resonate and supported by donated inventory To learn more about End Family Fire and how to promote responsible gun ownership visit EndFamilyFireorgPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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As Perceived Need for Personal Protection Spurs Record Levels of U.S. Adults Purchasing Firearms for the First Time, New PSA Emphasizes Need to Store Guns Safely

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As Perceived Need for Personal Protection Spurs Record Levels of U.S. Adults Purchasing Firearms for the First Time, New PSA Emphasizes Need to Store Guns Safely

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