Gun Toting Teachers Highlight the Madness of Armed Educators

“Since Columbine, the mantra of many elected officials has been unwavering: “More guns, less gun control.” Following the Parkland massacre last February, President Trump suggested that schools should arm educators - the people we have trusted to teach and care for our children every day. Is this even an idea we need to debate? Again, more. More guns. More violence. More massacres. Stop the Madness.

“Stop the Madness” is three satirical sketches and a Call To Action created by writer/producer Joel Surnow in collaboration with psychologist Dr. Frank Sergi, director Brendan Gibbons, acclaimed composer Sean Callery and production company Station Film. Using absurdity to convey the message, the viewers are urged to “Vote ‘Em Out” - those politicians running for office in November whose sole agenda it is to prevent any limits on the distribution and use of guns, which includes - sadly - automatic weapons.

Creator Joe Surnow comments: "Like many of us living in America today who click onto their phones and discover there has been yet another tragic school shooting ... I have been left shaken, frightened, bewildered, discouraged ... and at a loss as to what I can be doing about it. How do you change the minds of citizens who are so dead set in their opinions about guns? It's my opinion that you can't. All that can be done is to mobilise the people who feel that the laws must change and vote into office like-minded politicians. When Trump suggested arming teachers, my mind immediately went into daydream mode - what would that look like?

I called my friend and sometime writing partner, Frank Sergi, and we cooked up three sketches that offered an absurd peek into that dystopian world. I showed them to Steve Orent, the head of Station Film - who responded and immediately put them into his production rotation. But, we felt that they needed to be more than just entertainment ... they needed to be a call to action. Hence, VoteEmOut.org was born. It's our hope that by adding our voice to the already growing choir of men and women who demand more sensible gun laws, that we can move the needle enough to vote out Pro-gun politicians in November - those Congressmen and Senators who cynically allow the cycle of violence to continue.”

Says Director Brendan Gibbons, “What’s left to say about our country’s horrific school shootings? We’ve all seen the horror. But our tribalised political atmosphere keeps us from actually doing anything about it. Now we have the Kafkaesque idea of arming the people we entrust to teach and nurture our children. I believe this is absurd and will only make things worse. I also believe that sometimes the best way to help people see the absurdities of our world through a clear lens is to surprise them with humour. It’s my hope that these films can help do just that and mobilise some common-sense action in the face of this devastating phenomenon.”