Which is more dangerous – a chocolate Kinder egg or an AK-47?
That’s what a powerful new series of public service announcements, funded by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an advocacy group that asks for ‘common-sense’ gun legislation.
The PSA examine seemingly harmless banned objects like children’s books, the German candy, and rubber balls – and asks why they are banned in the U.S. while assault weapons are not.
Choose one: Nonprofit group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America has released a provocative new campaign calling for action
Which is it? This version of 'Little Red Riding Hood' was banned in two California schools because it showed the girl carrying wine in her basket on her way to her grandmother's house
The campaign, called ‘Choose One,’ examine why commonplace things of childhood may be banned while guns and weapons have few restrictions surrounding them.
The first of three features two children in a classroom – one holding a Kinder egg, and the other holding an assault rifle. The copy reads: ‘One child is holding something that’s been banned in America to protect them. Guess which one.
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It continues: ‘We won’t sell Kinder chocolate eggs in the interest of child safety. Why not assault weapons.’
However, AdLand notes that the ban on Kinder eggs was lifted last month. The Kinder Surprise egg, along with other chocolates containing plastic toys inside, such as Nestlé’s Wonderball, had previously been banned in the U.S. because of a possible choking hazard.
You're out: Dodgeball was banned at a New Hampshire school, though not across the country like the ad suggests
The next ad shows two young girls in a school library, one holding a semi-automatic rifle and the other, the children’s story ‘Little Red Riding Hood.’
The particular version of the fairy tale, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, was banned in two California school districts because the protagonist, Little Red, was carrying wine in her basket of gifts to her grandmother.
The third and final ad in the series shows two boys in a school gymnasium. The copy reads: ‘We ban the game dodgeball because it’s viewed as being too violent. Why not ban assault weapons?’ The game was actually banned at a school in Windham, New Hampshire, though the ban can hardly be considered nation-wide.
Two more PSAs will be launched later this weeks, according to a news release.
Mad moms: Women of the Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America push the strollers with their children pass the U.S. Capitol today as they attempt to meet with elected officials and demand action on common-sense gun laws
Sad beginnings: The organization was founded by a mother of five who was enraged after 20 children were gunned down at Sandy Hook last December
No more names: Two days ago, on the sixth anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting, Colin Goddard, who was shot four times, leads a moment of silence for the 32 victims, along with the '3,300 lives lost to gun violence since the Newtown shooting,' outside the Capitol
As AdLand notes, temporary or small-scale choice by a single group or organization does not equate to a federally-mandated ban.
The campaign was produced by the GREY Agency in Toronto.
Neither the National Rifle Association nor Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, immediately return MailOnline’s request for comment on the adverts.
Watts, 42, founded the organization following the December 14 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
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Shame: The vote was overturned 54 to 46
The not-for-profit organization now has more than 75 local chapters across the country and tens of thousands of members.
Among their goals, the organization’s purpose falls in-line with the goals of President Obama, including banning ammunition magazines of more than 10 rounds and requiring background checks for all gun purchases.
Yesterday, the Senate voted down a bill that would allow for tougher background checks on semi-automatic weapons, a major victory for gun lobbyists and a sting for parents and those hoping for tighter gun control.
President Obama was joined by families of Sandy Hook victims, as well as former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was seriously wounded at a mass shooting in Tucson in 2011.
Outrage: President Obama, center, and US Vice President Joe Biden, second left, listen to remarks from Mark Barden, left, whose child was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary last night after the Senate failed to pass the gun control bill
For shame: Former Democratic Representative from Arizona Gabby Giffords, front left, was present after the bill was shut down and wrote a scathing op-ed in the New York Times today shaming Congress
In a powerful New York Times op-ed piece published today, former Rep. Giffords wrote of the cowardice of some senators who she said allowed themselves to be bullied by special interest groups like the NRA.
‘Some of the senators who voted against the background-check amendments have met with grieving parents whose children were murdered at Sandy Hook, in Newtown.
'Some of the senators who voted no have also looked into my eyes as I talked about my experience being shot in the head at point-blank range in suburban Tucson two years ago, and expressed sympathy for the 18 other people shot besides me, 6 of whom died,’ she writes.
‘These senators have heard from their constituents — who polls show overwhelmingly favored expanding background checks. And still these senators decided to do nothing. Shame on them.’
Members from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America Thursday held a ‘Stroller Jam’ in front of the Capitol Building in Washington and read the names of each of the 3,300 Americans who have been killed by gun violence since Newtown.Just before noon, the mothers wheeled their children in strollers to the Senate Building to speak with elected officials about the failed gun control bill.