TV and film director Seth Gordon directed via Community Films this short created pro bono by Saatchi & Saatchi New York for gun responsibility organization EVOLVE. The satiric short depicts Thomas Jefferson and other political leaders and statesmen of the time debating the language of the Second Amendment. After much debate, the group decides to remove a crucial “as long as you’re not a dumbass about it” caveat to the amendment. The video–based on the line “It’s the right to bear arms, not the right to be a dumbass”–highlights a number of outrageous examples of careless gun use, again taking place during the time of our country’s founding fathers.
“When we researched the gun debate in America, we saw that it’s become almost impossible to have a thoughtful discussion about gun safety,” said Claudine Cheever, chief strategy officer at Saatchi & Saatchi NY. “What I love about Evolve is that they’re not about taking a side in that debate – they’re squarely focused on promoting personal decisions about gun safety. We believe the work will make people laugh and think.”
“Safety is not a side. Gun owners and non-gun owners live with guns in this country, and we should all be able to have a collaborative conversation about how to think about gun safety,” says Rebecca Bond, co-founder of Evolve. “Humor can be a gateway to taking away the defensiveness that is the legacy of these discussions. We hope to put this conversation on the kitchen table and start talking about it.”
Evolve co-founder Jon Bonds added, “ We want the ‘Dumbass’ concept to catch on in popular culture the way ‘friends don’t let friends drive drunk’ did for safe driving.”
The call to action is for American gun owners to sign the Code of Gun Responsibility.
