From a European standpoint, the ongoing gun debate in America seems absurd and extremely narrow-minded. Instead of becoming more and more averse towards guns and other weapons, a large part of the American society grasps to their rights of gun posession in light of amok runs and fear of terrorist or criminal attacks.



This remains one of the most characteristic contradictions of US households: instead of advocating a society that is based on solving problems in a peaceful manner, many Americans think along phrases like "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". As a result, there have been way too many innocent victims of uncontrolled gun violence over the last years that could have been easily impeded if there were stricter laws.

Gladly, there have been some organizations that are working against the extremely strong gun lobby which has been able to prevent Barack Obama from attaining any real change concerning this issue. One of these organizations is "Mom's Demand Action" which was founded after the devastating mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut.

I think that the emotional side of the project could be a key factor in succeeding as many members are parents to killed children and therefore can touch one of the key foundations of American society - family life. What is also great about this organization is the fact that they have phrased 5 exact demands for their campaign instead of simply using slogans like "Stop gun violence!":
1) Ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
2) Require background checks for all gun and ammunition purchases.

3) Report the sale of large quantities of ammunition to the ATF, and ban online sales of ammunition.
4) Make gun trafficking a federal crime with serious criminal penalties.
5) Counter gun industry lobbyists’ efforts to weaken gun laws at the state level.

In addition to this, they have come up with an incredible witty and shocking campaign, that should give many Americans a reality check on how contradictary their society is. The campaign shots present two children, one holding a weapon while the other one holds a piece of candy, book or toy that is forbidden by law. This shows how nonsensical some of the US laws can be.

For example, the famous children book "Little Red Robin" is forbidden in American schools because the main character is carrying around a bottle of wine in her basket. The famous candy "Kinder suprise egg" is also forbidden because kids could swallow parts of the toy that is inside the egg. All these restrictions seem unimpressive to the danger that real weapons exert!

Let's hope that the campaign motivates more people to join the parole against weapons in the US!