As Evolve co-founder Rebecca Bond tells it, her org isn’t about taking sides when it comes to guns. She wants to be “a third voice” in the conversation, one with a message of…safety. And that’s it. As she sees it, safety isn’t about one side or the other. It’s a cause everyone – gun grabbers and responsible gun owners alike – have a vested interest in furthering. So Bond’s taking a different tack in getting Evolve’s message out there. Something a little more engaging than the snoozers the NSSF and NRA crank out. Illustrating absurdity by being absurd. Does it work for you?
NEW YORK, NY – February 14, 2014– Evolve, the gun responsibility organization, today launched its first ad campaign encouraging individuals to take personal responsibility for gun safety. Evolve aims to become the “third voice” in the American gun debate, a conversation that has been gridlocked for decades. Created pro bono by Saatchi & Saatchi New York, the creative work uses humor and satire to encourage responsible use and storage of guns.
“Safety is not a side. Gun owners and non-gun owners live with guns in this country, and we should all be able to have a collaborative conversation about how to think about gun safety,” says Rebecca Bond, Co-Founder of Evolve. “Humor can be a gateway to taking away the defensiveness that is the legacy of these discussions. We hope to put this conversation on the kitchen table and start talking about it.”
The campaign features a provocative short film directed by the highly acclaimed TV and film director Seth Gordon. It will appear in a number of places online, and portrays Thomas Jefferson and other political leaders and statesmen debating the language of the Second Amendment. After a heated debate, the group decides to remove a crucial “as long as you’re not a dumbass about it” caveat to the amendment. The video – based on the line “It’s the right to bear arms, not the right to be a dumbass” – highlights a number of outrageous examples of careless gun use.
Evolve Co-Founder Jon Bonds adds: ” We want the ‘Dumbass’ concept to catch on in popular culture the way ‘friends don’t let friends drive drunk’ did for safe driving.”
“When we researched the gun debate in America, we saw that it’s become almost impossible to have a thoughtful discussion about gun safety,” said Claudine Cheever, Chief Strategy Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi New York. “What I love about Evolve is that they’re not about taking a side in that debate – they’re squarely focused on promoting personal decisions about gun safety. We believe the work will make people laugh and think.”
The call to action is for American gun owners to sign the Code of Gun Responsibility. To view the video, click here. And for more info please visit http://www.takeonthecode.com/
So for so good, I think. Let’s see where it goes.
I don’t know how many times I have had to explain to people that my right to own and firearm doesn’t grant me the right to do whatever I want with it. Shooting people or destroying property, whether by accident or on purpose, HAVE CONSEQUENCES.
I agree people need to be more safe with their firearms. But this borders on anti gun movement propaganda! The government doesn’t need to tell me how to store in keep my guns and be safe that’s part of the freedom of this country is to make that choice for yourself imagine that freedom!
Of course the anti-gun crowd will interpret this as justification for banning guns from undocumented non-dumbasses.
I laughed. Actually it was more of a smile and a chuckle. But Jefferson was right. The 2nd Amendment is a little too long and wordy. The Framers of the Bill of Rights should have just left out the first thirteen words and called it good enough. That really would have saved a whole lot of trouble and bother down the road dontcha think?
That is truly where I thought it was going and when they sprung the other on me I was immediately incensed.
You can’t fix stupid. Even with slightly-entertaining YouTube videos.
If we’re truly concerned with people doing stupid/irresponsible things, how ironic that we rely on YouTube (the end-all-be-all historical register of stupid human behavior) to spread the message.
I feel dumber after watching that. what a waste of money.
This video should be applied to just about every political issue these days, not just guns.
I keep my shotguns on the top shelf of my closet. One is in a soft case, the other is wrapped in an old sweatshirt because I’m cheap. The ammo is beside the shotguns in a cardboard box. Guess I’m a dumbass.
Does it work for me? No. Neither does their code. I have signed enough unnecessary things already in the name of exercising a right.
You’ll notice that they immediately turn the Founding Fathers into jackasses. They say they are not political, but tow the liberal line of “males are idiots” and the Founding Fathers were a bunch of morons.
I like the overall idea, but do not believe they are apolitical. Sorry: No sale.
Jefferson wasn’t there for the drafting of the Constitution. Dumbass…
I can’t say I disagree with the message. Should gun owners not be dumbasses? Of course. Are some of them dumbasses? Yes. Should they learn how to not be a dumbass? Sure. Should they be called out when they are being a dumbass? Absolutely, yes.
However, the conclusion that some people will reach is problematic. There is a far-too-widespread belief that if something is good, then it must be mandatory and perhaps even subsidized. If something is bad, it must be prohibited. Whether something is defined as mandatory or prohibited, the result is the same – government gives itself power to make the choice for everyone, and then proceeds to enforce its decision via coercion (via law enforcement using physical force against people).
The solution is personal responsibility. But personal responsibility does not magically appear because it is mandated by a bunch of politicians. It comes about because a culture develops that not only supports personal responsibility but insists upon it. Deferring all decisions to a government, and then accepting whatever they say as “good” or “bad,” is the abdication of personal responsibility.
None of this will matter to some of the anti-gun folks, because their goal is not “safety while using guns.” Their goal is gun prohibition, because they think that the guns and people who use them are evil.
So while I basically agree with the message, I think it will be misinterpreted (or properly interpreted?) as a call for regulation (not appropriate) and will be ignored by those (gun prohibitionists) who are not actually interested in safety, but instead want to have control over other people.
A FAIL, IMO.
I am still a little suspicious considering Rebecca Bond still has her Twitter locked up. In addition the “don’t be a dumbass” line is too vague and I can see ‘them’ applying it to things like open carry.
I wonder, however, if they (or people here) would actually support something like THIS: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846578/
Once again…a Constitutional Dead End…
“Pharmaceuticals are not distributed without a doctor’s prescription –– but isn’t it our sovereign right to preserve and maintain our person health? Yes… until pharmacists produce a pill that cures if it is correctly administered and kills if it is misused. Seat belts have regulation assigned to them – why? because history/data tells us adults are safer when driving if they wear them and children of a certain size are not. Do I dare compare the law for child safety seats to magazine clip regulation?”
…by what right does Congress “regulate” anything”…they truly have no right to regulate my consumption of pills, herbs, liquids…or anything else I desire…as long a I am not bringing harm to anyone else….show me in the Constitution where it gives the government the power to regulate anything consumer related? Hell..even their income-tax “laws” have been shown to be a fraud…(non-ratified 16th Amendment)…and are only adhered to out of fear of our own government and the perpetual fraud that they keep in place through fear…so…you, sonny boy…are putting the horse before the cart…my rights come first…as they are “inalienable”…the government’s needs come second..as they derive their powers from “we the people”…( or they should, instead of from the barrel of a gun and the idea of a prison cell)….so again..nice try…but…big-time-fail…..bzzzzzzz!
RJ O’Guillory
Author-
Webster Groves – The Life of an Insane Family
Terrible anti-gun. Indeed, as other above said, tries to paint gun owners as dumb-asses and hence regulation is needed to prevent us being as such. We will see more of this. I call BS.
” The prescription of high velocity lead was delivered as required to terminate the threat. ”
… you’ve gotta be kidding me, right?
I guess it’s true — everyone is a critic.
So the plan is: cuff ’em now, kill ’em later. What a great system!
I wonder how I can inform the new owner that I’m willing to part with my beloved Glock 26 in exchange for Tommy. The offer stands for a limited time so they’d better act quick. 😉
Does anyone on this forum not understand there is an organized, private-public agenda to disarm what’s left of middle class America? It’s not a left-right issue, a public safety issue, or constitutional-unconstitutional issue…to say anything less is to ignore the elephant in the room.
All I needed to read to know this was just another astroturfing job was “Saatchi & Saatchi New York”
http://saatchi.com/en-us/purpose/purpose-page/
“Stolen” from a government armory.
Looks like some dumbasses got together to form ‘Evolve’ and this video.
Lol…it uses the cheap old school big LEDs. The type you see in the 99 cent store LED flashlights.
Most quality lights have a low setting (20-50lm) along with their high (120-600+)
For that price you can get a good REAL light
I should State for the record, that I live and breath the Hypocrisy everyday..My wife is in LE ( admin ), yet they have no bigger critic then me… I despise their choice of profession and their exclusivity mentality.. If they have been properly trained, they have no ‘friends’ outside of their colleagues. and for *most police* the few allies they do have will quickly be turned on if it interferes with the progression of the agenda..
Saying our marriage is interesting is an understatement..
Restated a little differently:
The opinion of the pro-rights movement seems to be that the guy who committed the crime is always innocent until proven guilty, no matter what the facts of the case are.
That helps to see the absurdity of this guy’s statement. He’d love to condemn people without proving it.
I have Tommy gun. Lots of fun to shoot. Too bad these can’t go to a collector.
Oh, that’s just sly propaganda. The message is clear: if you’re into guns, you’re probably stupid. Sign THIS, Bond.
I’m pointing to my crotch, just so’s you’ll know.
“Laugh and think”
Yeah, I’ll laugh and think I will not be fooled by (de)volve
Sorry. I’m automatically leery of anyone who trots out the “common sense” terminology, as they’ve done here. “Common sense” now means “statist”.
Given EVOLVE’s past facebook/twitter posts, I think this is a false flag.
Where do you think these two guns are going? Whatever gun shop is making the trade surely isn’t going to scrap them! They will be for sale to the highest bidder with a Class III license!
I’m willing to trade my Glock 7 for just ONE of those…..
Fantastic video. More of this please.
Oh, thank you. I needed a good laugh today and that worked.
Hmmm, if this keeps up I might be able to visit California some time in my lifetime.
does anybody know of anyone in Spain that might still sell Star Firestar gunparts. I need their web sit. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
How many men did this bear eat?
“The Pepsi generation supports universal background checks*.” -Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly
*despite the fact no one knows what they are.
I’m shocked Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly would lie in such a way…not.
As a potential former Pepsi drinker, I am very interested. If it’s true, they’ll lose me.
More lies and deceit from the leftist/liberals…??? Me thinks so…
Again, trigger discipline is outstanding!
This looks like a really good idea for a small carry arm in your pack. I wonder if it is depenable and will last for more than a few rounds put thru it? many good ideas have fallen by the wayside due to poor manufacturing techniques.
Well, crap. What am I supposed to drink now (before and at the range, anyway)?
I gave up Coke after they butchered “America the Beautiful” with that god-awful, multilingual Super Bowl commercial. Now I have to quit Pepsi!
And don’t forget, they own Taco Bell and Pizza Hut! I could starve to death!
I want to know why gun stores and shooting ranges let those two hypocrites in their businesses?
Cabela’s here in Texas (Buda location) has a sale on these for $150, I’ve been trying to figure out if that is too much. Apparently the glut is drying up a bit and the price has been climbing, but many have told me it should be closer to $100. Any thoughts on that?
Took a while to comment because this is such disturbing news. He and his family will live with the memory of this for some time. I can only hope and pray that he is awarded the Congressional Badge of Bravery for his actions as he us truly deserving of it.
“No, ladies, I said bare arms, not bear arms!”
Artichoke hair on all but one or two, between ’57 and ’59. Not a pillbox hat nor bouffant doo in the line up, before early to mid 1960 when Jackie clones started to rule the landscape. Skirt length above the knee, certainly post ’56 when Brigitte Bardot’s influence hiked the hem from below the knee to marginally above the pat. Revolvers, Okay, obvious, just like pre Beatles, cuz there are no minis. One, maybe two T strap shoes or pumps, therefore post the Spring of ’57 by maybe a season or two when that accessory was a must. At most, two pleated skirts . . . .so I’m guessin’ ’58 or early ’59, but the weather is mild, so that almost eliminates 1959 if other than Cali.
1958 it is, and therefore being before the ’60’s emancipation movement reduex, I’m gonna “send this one back to the kitchen”.
“The ‘Betty Crocker Bakeoff’ finalists having no other way to break the judges’ tie . . . . prepare to take matters into their own hands”
When I read “Click here for Horwitz’s HuffPo character assassination piece” I was worried that I’d click over there and find my words repeated. Ending up on MDA’s twitter feed was amusing, but I don’t really want to make a habit of it.
The real Moms Demanding Action ….. double action.
Christ. You guys worry too much.
If the anti’s can’t point to it, they’ll simply make it up.
Re: Racists at Tea Party rallies.
So, it turns out I missed out on yet another internet meme. Seems to happen more and more as I get older. Normally it wouldn’t bug me except for the ones I DON’T miss out on. Some things cannot be unseen….
Some people are truly convinced that if we just had universal background checks, then criminals would have nowhere to buy their guns. Their concern is born out of a sense of powerelesness. I will usually counter that there are three categories of private transfer; friends/family/coworkers with no criminal history-background checks are unnecessary, transactions to or between criminals (the target group) who do not follow the rules anyway, and transactions between strangers of unknown history (the dreaded gun show/internet sale loophole).
I suggest that we make nics a 1-800 buy guns number accessible to the public that returns a simple go/nogo (and keeps no record, with no record keeping requirements for those who use it). This voluntary system allows regular folks to make sure they dont sell a gun to a criminal, does not inconvenence friends and family sales, and the criminals are gonna be criminals. Just make sure that there is a robust appeals system if you get denied on a nics check.
The right thing to do is ditch nics altogether as it is a collosal waste of money and resorces, but that is a non starter when talking to non gun rights folks. When talking to casually pro gun control folks, I notice that when they call for compromise what they want is for us to take their concerns seriously instead of put up an instant brick wall. Answering the universal background check question with a suggestion as above goes a long way towards making peace between the sides without giving up ground.
Slow news day is it? You need to quote a troll from You Tube? I couldn’t read the comment, as it wasn’t in actual English. Too painful to look at such a butchering or words.