Is Gun-Free Really Danger Free?

WHAT:     

Outdoor Channel is debuting its inaugural documentary film, "Safe Haven: Gun-Free Zones in America" ("Safe Haven"), on Wednesday, April 1. The hour-long original documentary, which is hosted by Katie Pavlich – Townhall news editor, FOX News contributor and New York Times best-selling author, brings audiences to the center of the controversy regarding gun-free zones in America.

"Safe Haven" takes a critical look at the history of gun-free zones in the United States and their effect on crime prevention through a series of interviews with law enforcement, industry experts and survivors, among others. The documentary explores how effective, or perhaps ineffective, these gun-free measures have been and offers possible solutions that would better protect schools, businesses and the public at large.

WHY:         

Since 1950, all but two of the places where mass shootings have occurred in America have shared one common denominator: they all took place in a designated gun-free zone. A gun-free zone is an area that, by law, a private citizen is not allowed to carry a firearm. However, those determined to cause harm and destruction have little regard for a sign or the penalties that are carried with it.

Recent studies by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Purdue University shed new light on the effectiveness these laws have, as well as offer insight on what can be done to minimize their deadly cost. "Safe Haven" takes a step back from the public discourse on gun control and analyzes mass shootings in gun-free zones, as well as individual crimes where the presence of a legal firearm was denied by law. Using original interviews with victims of crime in gun-free zones, as well as politicians and other commentators, the documentary poses the question: Do gun-free zones work or are we creating an environment for criminal activity to run rampant?

WHO:    

Produced by Winnercomm, the documentary features the following:

- Katie Pavlich (host) – National Review Institute Washington Fellow, Townhall news editor, FOX News contributor and author of "Assault and Flattery: The Truth About the Left and Their War on Women" (2014, Threshold Editions), as well as "Fast and Furious, Barack Obama's Bloodiest Scandal and its Shameless Cover Up" (2012, Regnery Publishing)

- Jeanne Assam – Former Minneapolis police officer and member of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Jeanne used her concealed firearm to stop an active shooter during church services

- Massad Ayoob – International firearms and self-defense instructor and former Vice Chairman of the Forensic Evidence Committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

- Michael Bane – Outdoor industry veteran, producer, writer and ardent second amendment supporter, Michael is also the star of Outdoor Channel's "Shooting Gallery" and "The Best Defense"

- Elizabeth Boyer – A police officer in White Hall, Arkansas

- Amanda Collins – A University of Nevada, Reno student and concealed carry permit holder who was sexually assaulted in an on-campus gun-free zone; Her attacker went on to kidnap, rape and murder 19-year old Brianna Denison

- J. Eric Dietz, Ph.D., P.E. – Director of the Purdue Homeland Security Institute and Professor in the Computer and Information Technology Department at Purdue University, as well as author of the institution's studies on active shooter events

- Eric Katzenberg – Writer, director and producer of over 75 hours of firearms driven television and documentary film productions, including "Assaulted: Civil Rights Under the Fire"

- Edward Monk – National Rifle Association (NRA) handgun instructor and former Armor Officer with the United States Army

- Katherine Schweit – A FBI Special Agent who heads the agency's Active Shooter Initiative and is the lead agent for the FBI's recent Active Shooter report

- Steven Strauss – Lecturer and John L. Weinberg/Goldman Sachs & Co. visiting professor at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, an adjunct faculty member at the Harvard Kennedy School and Huffington Post contributor on the gun-free zone debate

- David Thweatt – Superintendent of Harrold Independent School District in Harrold, Texas, which allows teachers concealed carry with proper training

- Among others…

WHEN:          

"Safe Haven" premieres on Wednesday, April 1, 2015 between 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. ET.

WHERE:         

Only on Outdoor Channel.

To find out how to get the network in your area, go to www.OutdoorChannel.com/channelfinder or call (855) 44-OUTDOOR.