Washington D.C., October 1, 2015 — Dan Gross, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, offered the following thoughts after Wednesday's most recent episode of the ABC show, Black-ish.
"We would like to thank Black-ish for showing, in last night’s episode, that there is tremendous potential in tackling the very important subject of gun violence in an entertaining way.
"The episode hit on several of Brady’s most important messages. Within the first minute it showed how important and easy it is for parents to protect their kids by asking if there are guns in the homes where they play. The fact is 1.7 million children live under a roof with a loaded, unlocked gun. Largely as a result, nine children are shot unintentionally every day and thousands of young people take their own lives every year, most with parents’ guns.
"The show also highlighted the responsibility gun dealers have to keep guns out of dangerous hands. Lives depend on gun dealers upholding their moral and legal obligation to conduct responsible transactions. The episode's portrayal of what Brady calls a “bad apple gun dealer” shows how a small number of dealers will sell a gun to anyone just to make a buck. As a result just 5% of gun dealers sell 90% of crime guns.
"As we have seen with other important health and safety issues from seat belts to drunk driving to tobacco, Hollywood can play a vital role facilitating important conversations. We applaud Black-ish for illustrating that potential.
"In the end, last night’s episode of Black-ish was more than just an entertaining sitcom, it may have helped save lives."
Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.
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