'Gun Share Program' Debuts in Chicago to Raise Awareness for The National Gun Violence Problem

The Escape Pod in partnership with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence announced today that it is launching the “Chicago Gun Share Program,” an art installation developed in response to the lack of federal gun regulations and conflicting state laws that would help protect American citizens from unnecessary gun violence.

"This is a truly remarkable exhibit, and we're grateful to the team behind the Chicago Gun Share Program for their support of our efforts to enact common sense gun safety reforms. We hope the Chicago community takes advantage of the opportunity to visit this installation and to learn just how simple it is for an everyday civilian to obtain a weapon of war," said Kris Brown and Avery Gardiner, co-presidents of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Designed to resemble popular bike sharing stations in major cities across the country, the installation dramatises the ease in which a person may obtain a weapon. Rather than containing bikes, the Gun Share installation instead holds a row of 10 replica AR-15 rifles. Forged from aluminium with a steel base, the installation is 18 feet long and 3 ½ feet wide and features signage highlighting the disparity between Illinois and Indiana state gun laws, a local example demonstrating the larger issue that across the country, conflicting state laws may not be enough to prevent gun violence. The installation also has a solar panel to power lights for the signage and an iPad that uses Square to enable donations to the Brady Center via credit card swipe or card tap. The social media hashtag supporting the campaign is #GunShare.

“Gun violence is an acute problem in the USA. But arguably, the lack of legislative action to implement even the most basic and rudimentary gun regulation is the real problem. Our goal here is to start a conversation on one of the more burning issues of our day, and in the process, raise much needed funds for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. This issue is especially relevant to our home town of Chicago, which has suffered more than most from the plague of gun violence. The Escape Pod couldn’t be more excited to partner with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence in this endeavor,” said Vinny Warren, Executive Creative Director of The Escape Pod.

The installation was built by Nicholas Berg of Ojo Customs.