These mass shooting insurance ads want to make sure you're covered when it comes to gun violence

Southern California residents have to consider types of insurance people in other parts of the country don't have to think twice about—like coverage for earthquakes, or wildfires. And now, they’re being offered protection against another type of hazard: mass shootings.

Throughout the streets of Los Angeles, poster ads have popped up promoting insurance coverage for gun tragedies. Along with mass shootings, they’re promising “premier” protection against “accidental” and “everyday” gunfire.

Upon examination of the fine print, however, the ads go on to describe grisly statistics on gun violence in the U.S., like the fact that last year, the country had more than 340 mass shootings and 1,600 unintentional shootings.  “Although the violence is real, this insurance is not,” the ads then reveal, pointing viewers to the number 1-833-GUNSURE and a website, www.louderthanguns.org.

The “Louder Than Guns” campaign is actually an awareness effort from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Youth Council to End Gun Violence, urging Angelenos to take action for gun violence reform.

Agency Omelet was behind the campaign while the client was actually the group of teenagers comprising the youth council. It's  the country’s first mayor-led initiative to give youth a voice in City Hall, allowing them to advise on strategies around gun violence and safety reforms. 

“We may be teenagers, but we have grown up in an era of mass shootings and seen gun violence take the lives of our peers,” said Paula Kim, a member of the Mayor’s Youth Council in a statement. “We can’t wait for anyone else to shake themselves out of complacency, so we’re taking our lives into our own hands. The voices of our friends and classmates have to drown out gun industry lobbyists. Our futures depend on it.”

“We will never accept gun violence as the new normal for our kids—and none of us can be silent when students see lockdown drills as the norm and there are bulletproof backpacks for sale in America,” added Mayor Garcetti. “Young people are leading the effort to make our communities safer, and Louder than Guns is an expression of their commitment to change and a call to action for all of us to join them in building the future they deserve.”

The campaign began running in May, and tomorrow, in time for National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 7, the ads will switch over to more colorful posters showing how people can take action to bring gun violence reform to their communities.