Background

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for U.S. children and teens. America’s gun culture and relationship to gun ownership make it a global outlier. It is the only nation in the world where civilian guns outnumber people. And because of an overzealous interpretation of the second amendment and special legal protections for the U.S. gun industry, efforts to reform U.S. gun laws have come to a stalemate.

Despite tireless advocacy and countless creative campaigns, nothing seems to change. Working with Global Action on Gun Violence (GAGV), we've helped them move beyond advocacy into legal action, taking the unprecedented step of suing the U.S. government in an international human rights court.

Idea

After so many creative tactics have failed to bring about meaningful gun reform in the United States, perhaps the most creative solution was to sue the U.S. government.

GAGV filed the “Lawsuit for Survival” on behalf of Joaquin, Manny and Patricia Oliver against the U.S. for violating human rights law by failing to protect people's right to live free from gunfire and causing Joaquin's death in the Parkland high school gun massacre. The landmark case asked the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to request that the United States implement strong gun violence policies to prevent mass shootings and other gun violence.

Results

·      590 million impressions

·      1,500% increase in website visits

we hope the best result is yet to come, that this new legal angle will exert more pressure on the government to enact tougher gun laws.