States United To Prevent Gun Violence Opens Gun Store In Manhattan As Hidden Camera Social Experiment To Debunk Safety Myths

NEW YORK, March 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent survey, six out of ten Americans believe owning a firearm makes homes safer. But studies show the opposite to be true: owning a gun can actually increase risk of injury and death for you and those around you.

To debunk this perception, States United to Prevent Gun Violence, a national non-profit organization dedicated to making our families and communities safer, did the unthinkable: they opened a "gun store" on Manhattan's Lower East Side and invited first-time gun buyers to check it out as part of a hidden camera social experiment. 

Upon entering the doors of the storefront, potential customers were shocked with some unsettling history behind each gun model, including their use in some of the most emotionally charged mass shootings, unintentional shootings, homicides and suicides. States United to Prevent Gun Violence captured the shoppers' stunned reactions via hidden cameras.

Today they launch the powerful #GunsWithHistory PSA which aims to inform people who are interested in purchasing guns for safety of the potential risks and unpredictable outcomes.  

LINK :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nAfWfF4TjM

The social experiment is featured at gunswithhistory.com, which shares the history associated with each gun. It also includes an interactive tool that helps you to make a decision, showing facts based on your life and highlighting surprising truths about gun ownership and statistics of death and injury.

"Our goal is to educate those looking to purchase a firearm and ensure they are aware of the potential risks [and to promote responsible gun ownership]," says Julia Wyman, Executive Director of States United To Prevent Gun Violence. "Often gun purchasers wrongly believe guns will keep them safe when in fact a gun in the home greatly increases the risk of homicide and suicide. This sets the record straight so consumers can make an informed choice to buy a firearm or not."

"Parents in particular need to re-think the wisdom of keeping a gun in the home. Gun suicide among American youth aged 10-19 is at a 12-year high and in 82% of the cases of kids killing themselves with guns, the gun belonged to a family member, usually a parent. If a parent must own a gun, then they should be responsible and lock it up to keep their kids from accessing it. Locked guns not only prevent suicides but also are less likely to be used in unintentional shootings, brought to school or stolen," commented Leah Gunn Barrett, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV). 

About States United to Prevent Gun Violence: States United to Prevent Gun Violence is a national non-profit organization dedicated to making our families and communities safer. We are working to decrease gun death and injury and build healthy communities by supporting and strengthening 28 state gun-violence-prevention organizations and nurturing new state organizations. Find out more about States United and our state affiliates at: http://www.ceasefireusa.org/

About New Yorkers Against Gun Violence: New Yorkers Against Gun Violence is a statewide advocacy group working to reduce gun violence through advocacy and education designed to encourage action, influence public opinion and lead to policy change. With a primary focus on New York State, the organization also advocates at the local and national levels for sensible gun laws, policies and practices that protect New York State residents from gun violence. www.nyagv.org; Twitter: @NYAGV1; https://www.facebook.com/nyagv

Contact: Owen Dougherty
212-546-2551
[email protected]

SOURCE States United to Prevent Gun Violence

Related Links

http://www.ceasefireusa.org

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