A few years ago, some kids made a discovery in the bathroom of my neighborhood elementary school's playground: a loaded handgun. No safety, no trigger lock. 

After a few took turns looking at it, one of the children decided to throw the gun into the woods and tell their parents. Who knows how much more tragically it could have ended?

(In case you're wondering, a mom later said she'd been keeping it between her pants and underwear and, after taking it out to use the bathroom, just...left it there. How you forget a handgun in your underwear is, like many parts of this situation, unfathomable to me, as is the fact that neither parent faced any penalty from authorities. But I digress.)

I tell you this because it was the first thing that came to mind when I watched Grey New York's powerful new PSA for States United to Prevent Gun Violence.

A rather moderate group as far as gun-related nonprofits go, States United isn't out to ban firearms, but rather to raise awareness of their danger when used or stored irresponsibly.

The ad unnervingly shows a young boy creating the kind of unboxing video common to YouTube, but in this case he's unboxing his parent's unlocked handgun. The campaign is aimed at getting parents to secure their guns and store them safely—including being separate from ammunition.

But States United also encourages parents to have talks with their children about what to do if they find a gun. As you can tell from my story above, that's a lesson that can be life-saving even if you never allow a gun into your home.

Check out the new PSA and learn more about the nonprofit's advice for parents via my article on Adweek.

There have been a lot of gun-violence PSAs over the years. Have any stuck with you more than others? Let me know at the email below or at @Griner on Twitter.

David Griner
International Editor, Adweek
David.Griner@Adweek.com

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