Why Gun Violence Is A Public Health Crisis & What Social Marketing Can Do About It
It was on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, the day of the mass school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that I decided it was time for social marketers to “rise” and contribute more to reducing gun deaths and injuries. I not only heard that 19 children and two teachers were killed during the shooting, I also read that the shooter had sent text messages to a friend sharing that “Ima go shoot up a elementary school rn (right now).” Then I read on the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation website that “93% of school shooters planned the attack in advance, and that in 4 out of 5 school shootings, at least one other person had knowledge of the attacker’s plan but failed to report it.” The next day I learned that almost half of school shooters stole the gun from a family member. It was clear to me that two behaviors could have helped prevent this shooting, as well as future ones: “Say Something If See Something”, and “Store Guns Safely.”