Amulya Bandari

Professor Mazzant

English 137H

20 October 2019

It’s that time of year again!

It’s that time of year where everyone is in school and

getting into the routine of things. However, back to school
season also includes one essential, school shootings. The
United States has faced countless tragedies due to gun
violence and nothing changed. However, the shooting that
changed everything took place December 14th, 2012. The
country mortified when 27 people were gunned down at
Sandy Hook Elementary School. Most of the victims were
children in kindergarten and first grade. It was apparent to the
country that even little children from an upper middle class
dominantly white community are not safe from the threat of
school shootings and showcased the true horror of gun
violence in America. The parents of the victims were grief-
stricken, losing their children just a week before Christmas.
However, their troubles were not over yet. Many believed that
the shooting was a hoax and sent death threats to parents.
This parent’s grief turned into outrage as they realized the
country how misinformed some individuals are, as well as the
many common misconceptions of school shootings. They were
also outraged at the lack of intervention by the United States
government to prevent school shootings. This led to the
formation of Sandy Hook promise, an organization created by
the parents of the Sandy Hook school shooting victims. Sandy
Hook Promise is dedicated to fight the misconception of
school shootings and teach the signs of a potential school
shooter. They have successfully helped pass various universal
background check laws as well as successfully endorsed
mental health campaigns to catch potential school shooters.
They also release many public service announcements to draw
attention to the situation. One of these is the “Back to School
Essentials” public service announcements.

It starts off as a normal back to school video where

kids are showing off their new school gear. It seems innocent
at first; however, it soon takes a dark turn. In the video,
regular back to school supplies are advertised with a dark
twist. Rather than being used for their intended purpose, they
are used in an active shooter situation. This includes pencils
being used as weapons, socks being used to stop bleeds and
skateboards being used to break windows to escape.
However, the odd thing about this video is that the children all
approached the situation in a positive light. Rather than
complaining about the situation they were in, they all acted as
though it was completely normal. They portrayed the school
supplies as though their intended purpose is to be used in a
school shooting. For instance, it almost seemed natural that
the jacket was used as a method to close the door, rather than
to keep someone warm. This implies that school shootings are
the new normal. Since 2013, the United States has
experienced at least 483 incidents of gunfire on a school
campus, and the average number of days between the
occurrence of a school shooting has reduced to 77 days in
recent years. The frequency of shootings has increased, which
has led to shootings losing their impact due to the
commonality of them.

Furthermore, school is meant to be a safe place,

where students go to learn, however, now it has turned into a
danger zone. There is this lingering threat that a shooting
might occur, and the threat has only increased in recent years.
In the PSA, school supplies are shown as weapons; however,
they are meant to aid children in learning. This implies that
this is the new normal classroom, and school shootings in
general are now considered the new normal. According to a
recent Pew Research Center study, 57% of US teens worry that
a school shooting could happen at their school. This is the sad
reality that students in the United States face, however
students are told to accept this. Rather than trying to prevent
the root of the issue, students are told to defend themselves
or ignore the issue completely. It has become rooted in
students to accept the inevitable, and the constant threat of a
school shooting is always there. Therefore, the PSA tries to
break the normalization of school shootings by breaking
through the numbness of the audience. The serious tone and
intensity of the PSA shows the audience the real nature of
school shootings. It reveals the true horror of what students
face, appealing the audience’s emotion. This makes them
want to fight against the commonality of school shootings,
which is what Sandy Hook Promise is trying to do.

As the video approaches its end, the most impactful

scene is portrayed. A girl is squatting on the toilet, trying to
hide from a school shooting. While she has tears streaming
down her face, she says, “And I finally got a new phone to stay
in touch with my mom,” as she is texting her mother “I love
you.” Then you hear the bathroom door open and footsteps as
the video abruptly ends with an uncertain ending. As a
student, the last thing you want to do is have to text your last
words to your parents, hoping that you will survive and get to
see them again. As a parent, you never want your child to go
through this scenario. Parents send their kids to school to
receive a quality education, and the last thing they want is to
have their child die at school. No matter if you are pro-gun or
pro-gun control, no one wants to be in this situation. Though
Sandy Hook Promise is a pro-gun control organization fighting
for stricter gun laws, the PSA itself appeals to everyone. It
does not say anything about needing gun control, rather, it is
portraying the sad reality that the youth of America is facing.
No matter if one is conservative or liberal, no parent wants
their child to be in the situation of having to send their last
words from the bathroom, while a shooter is pursuing them.
No parent wants their child to be in this life-threatening
situation afraid and alone.

However, overall, the PSA does not seem to convey

the message of Sandy Hook Promise. It does not inform
viewers about the organization in anyway, instead it uses
shock factors to portray a school shooting. It never mentions
anything about the organization itself, except the name of the
organization and the website link at the end of the PSA. How
does the PSA benefit Sandy Hook Promise? Sandy Hook
Promise has made some promising advancements in gun laws
and has purposed many solutions to protect students from
gun violence. However, the PSA mentions none of these
accomplishments. Instead, it uses children to portray a tragic
event, which can be seen as immoral, since the PSA is taking
advantage of such tragedies for something that seems to have
no reason behind it. However, the purpose of the PSA is to
produce this outcry. The shock of the PSA has people talking
about it, which then leads to people talking about Sandy Hook
Promise. So, even if the PSA does not talk about the
organization itself, it started a buzz about the organization.
The audience wants to know the purpose of the PSA, so they
will investigate Sandy Hook Promise, and that will lead them
to learning about the organization. This is the purpose of the
PSA. It is not to glorify the organization, but to bring
awareness to the organization and the overall school shooting
epidemic in a not so obvious fashion.
 The Sandy Hook Promise’s “Back to School Essentials”
PSA is an extremely emotional advertisement that makes
viewers uncomfortable. However, it is the sad reality that
many have experienced and will experience. The timing and
use of emotions make it especially compelling to the viewers.
Though its intentions seem unclear, after further inspection, it
is a great marketing tool to raise awareness for the problem
and Sandy Hook Promise. It does use emotions to draw
viewers to its organization, which can be seen an unethical,
however the situation is so drastic that it is deemed a
necessity. All in all, the “Back to School Essentials” by the
Sandy Hook Promise is an effective advertisement.