A video created by two Australians, Alex Little and Karsten Jurkschat, for student-led anti-gun organisation March For Our Lives is going viral around America in the wake of the latest mass shooting in a Colorado school.
[jwplayer 1cVAUmz8]
The video, made pro bono, features the genuine reactions of shock, confusion and even tears of staff in an American workplace as an 11-year old girl is brought in to help them learn what to do in the case of an active shooter. It’s the same advice and drills school kids are learning and regularly practising in the US.
Speaking to the ABC, the creators say the inspiration came from their own experiences with emergency drill training and how disengaged the staff were after two years of living in the US.
“We kind of said to ourselves, ‘What if a kid was running this thing? What if a kid was up there telling us how to survive?’” said Jurkschat.
“There wasn’t a lot of gift-wrapping around this. It’s what kids in America learn in school. And it’s putting it in an interesting environment, which is an adult situation,” added Little.
The pair say they wanted the reactions to be real, they didn’t use actors. But they were rejected by 40 workplaces, some because of retaliation fears from pro-gun lobby groups.
You can watch the full ad below.
Since its creation a month ago, the video has gone viral. The creators suspect it had a lot to do with the Colorado shooting just days after its release, in which one student was killed and eight others were injured. Whatever the reason, it’s grabbed the attention the people, politicians and celebrities.
Recently my daughter Bella told me that she made a new friend.
Me: “That’s great sweetie; what do you like about her?”
B: “She calmed me down when I had a panic attack during our lockdown drill.”
They are 10 years old.
They are #GenerationLockdown https://t.co/JwGqnDodbx— Christine Pelosi (@sfpelosi) April 29, 2019
https://twitter.com/littletiddykid/status/1126880495843758081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2019-06-01%2Ftwo-australians-made-a-viral-gun-control-video%2F11118340
https://twitter.com/TrevorKhan1/status/1122993386435125248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1122993386435125248&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffpost.com%2Fentry%2Fmass-shootings-tweets-parents-respond_n_5cc7f534e4b05379114a081a
My son comes home from school freaked out about these active shooter drills. We live in a world where children need to be instructed on this. So much is wrong about that. https://t.co/QTmB1ZCH3h
— Mike McGranaghan (@AisleSeat) April 29, 2019
What’s really difficult and sad frankly – as a parent to accept, is the casualness in which my kids discuss doing these drills in their schools. #generationlockdown
— Charles Whitney (@charles_dubbya) April 29, 2019
Now when I hear doors slam too loudly in my dorm hall I get a little bit frightened that something is going down. I have a plan on where to hide in every classroom. We had a false alarm on campus because people were popping balloons. We shouldn’t live in fear. #GenerationLockdown
— Leila M. 💀✨💜 (@RoselyMonster) April 29, 2019
My six-year-old daughter last year after an actual lockdown:
“The best places to hide are the big cupboards. But how do we choose, Mom?’
“What do you mean, sweetie?”“There’s not enough room for everyone. How do we choose who gets to hide and who has to die?”#GenerationLockdown
— Kaz Weida (@kazweida) April 29, 2019
