'Generation Lockdown' PSA Is a Stark Reminder of Gun Violence in US Schools

March For Our Lives and McCann New York have released a new video public service announcement titled 'Generation Lockdown'. Following the 20 year anniversary of the Columbine High School Shooting, the video offers a stark reminder of the dangerous environment today’s students face in schools across the country. The PSA features a young girl instructing adults on how they would survive an active shooter event.

The PSA offers a moving look at what students deal with and how schools have had to respond to the very real threat of gun violence. It is estimated that 95% of school kids -- some as young as five -- are now trained on what to do during an active shooter situation because they have to be prepared for it at any minute, in any community. The PSA ends with a call for viewers to support federal legislation to put universal background checks in place for the purchase of firearms.

This PSA follows the recent April 15th launch of a two-week Times Square ad campaign centered on gun violence prevention. March For Our Lives’ Times Square billboard ads are estimated to reach 5.5 million people as the organization seeks to garner support for legislation to pass background checks, extreme-risk protection orders (ERPO’s), safe-storage laws, and other life-saving measures. In 2017, nearly 40,000 people were killed due to gun violence.