The Boston University School of Public Health launched an anti-gun violence social media campaign Tuesday, two days after a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando killed 49 and injured 53.
The campaign consists of four videos, starting with one titled “The Toxic Mix of Guns and Hate.” SPH Dean Sandro Galea said he hopes this campaign will reach students, educators, policy makers and the general public, and lead to action against gun violence and hate crimes.
Galea said in the video that SPH has done extensive research surrounding gun violence in the U.S., and the researchers want it to be seen as a public health issue. Using the information they have gathered, professors at the SPH hope to educate the public about the effects of gun violence and hate in society, Galea said.
“The campaign was launched because [SPH is] tired of the repeat endless loop of senseless death due to gun violence, and we wanted to be very, very clear that this is unacceptable,” Galea said.
Videos of the campaign will be released daily on BU Today. In each video, professors from SPH will discuss gun violence and hate speech against the LGBT community, Galea said.
“The goal of the campaign is to change the conversation [surrounding gun violence and hate],” Galea said. “We would like to have an open conversation on gun violence, one that says that we should be looking for a solution and not keep saying, ‘We can’t do anything about this.’”
SPH is encouraging people to join the conversation using the hashtag #Enough on social media.
“We would like to have an open conversation on gun violence, one that says that we should be looking for a solution and not keep saying, ‘We can’t do anything about this.’”
OK, so shall we talk about who it is committing the vast majority of gun crimes? How about where these crimes are being committed? And how the guns used were acquired? As for solutions, shall we talk about how the perpetrators of the vast majority of these crimes come from a group with only 30% of them growing up in a two parent household?
Basically, can we talk about the elephant in the room without being labeled a racist? Somehow, I don’t think so.