Nearly two-thirds of the gun deaths in the United States — over 22,000 per year — are suicides. Gun violence is an epidemic in America, but a recent development gives many hope — Red Flag laws, or Extreme Risk Protection Orders. Red Flag laws empower family members, medical professionals, and law enforcement to secure a court order that temporarily remove guns from individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others.
Everytown for Gun Safety approached Stink Studios to create a national campaign to raise awareness and educate friends and family of those at the highest risk of gun suicide.
As we developed a campaign strategy through conversations with survivors, a recurring theme was a feeling of helplessness, and wishing they’d known how to help loved ones in crisis. We found that appealing to community-minded matriarchs would be the highest-impact audience due to their influence and proximity to those at highest risk, while generating a strong network effect.
Our goal was to empower women with the knowledge and courage to do one thing that is in their control, and is proven to make the situation safer: get the gun out of the house.
The mainstay of the campaign are stories inspired by survivor accounts. Presented in both long-form and short-form variations, the narratives capture the cadence of how a crisis unfolds in real life — from an isolated incident, to a spiral of everyday occurrences, to that one moment when you know things have gone too far.
Tonally, the photographs are filled with a mixture of strength and vulnerability, creating a sense of reassurance and a future-focused outlook.
To add warmth to our stories, we used a classic American typeface that’s impactful without being overly dominant. Used famously in newsprint, the typeface eases the flow of reading, conveying a sense of comfort to our audience.
To create a holistic campaign, we adapted our creative for billboards, print, social, radio, and field materials for grassroots organizers, all pointing to a campaign site with information and resources on Red Flag laws.
Survival rates for suicide differ drastically depending on means: 85% of suicide attempts with a gun end in death, whereas only 5% of suicide without a gun are fatal. By educating family and friends on how to file a Red Flag petition and empowering them to remove the gun for now, we hope to reduce the number of deaths by gun suicide and increase the number of families who get more time with their loved ones.