The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization that attempts to promote social responsibility through the media. Its Board of Directors is comprised mostly of media tycoons, ad agencies, and multinational corporations.

One of the Ad Council's current campaigns was launched for the U.S. Justice Department and is designed to further demonize gun ownership.

Under the guise of promoting "safety", the campaign's central theme warns against committing "gun crimes." They feature pictures of criminals in jail, gang members, and family members who are left behind as a result of a "gun crime." The Ad Council's website states in part, "This PSA campaign speaks directly to the offender and forces them to think about the consequences- the emotional pain, loneliness, and financial hardship that their families will experience as a result of their crime."

Drug dealers, gang members, sociopaths, and other criminals clearly do not think about the pain of other people. They have no sense of compassion, obviously. In fact, the influence of drugs and lack of parental or community influence often leads young people to look for acceptance from bad actors in their neighborhoods.

What is most important, however, is the Ad Council's focus on the term, "gun crime." Homocide, attempted homocide, murder, assault with a deadly weapon. These are the crimes in question. The weapon of choice is irrelevant; it's the act of violence that matters.

If the Ad Council was really serious about reducing crime, they would launch a "Guns Save Lives" campaign featuring real Americans who saved their lives or the life of another by using a firearm in self defense. Such a commercial would inspire law-abiding citizens and would likely have more of an impact on would-be criminals than the pathetic ads they are running now.

It is important to note again that this campaign was initiated by the U.S. Justice Department. This is the same government agency that filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to incorporate the term, "reasonable restriction" in its DC Gun Case ruling. Such a term would provide the government with an open-ended loophole that they can use to continue to push their anti-gun agenda.

One almost has to wonder whether or not the U.S. Justice Department is nothing more than an extension of the Brady Campaign.

Jennifer Freeman is Executive Director and co-founder of Liberty Belles, a grass-roots organization dedicated to restoring and preserving the Second Amendment.
http://www.libertybelles.org
jennifer@libertybelles.org