Media & Resources

Children’s Defense Fund Launches “We Can Do Better” Social Media Campaign
Gives People New Facts and Tools to Fight for Gun Safety Laws to Protect Children

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) launches a new public awareness and social media campaign, “We Can Do Better.” Did you know America’s military and law-enforcement agencies have four million guns and our citizens have 310 million? The new campaign created for CDF by Fallon Worldwide gives people powerful new facts like this and tools to fight for common sense gun safety laws to protect children, not guns. The campaign toolkit, which is available on the Children’s Defense Fund website, contains compelling images of children and facts to share on social media sites and to use for posters, print ads and digital billboard banners.

“We are launching this campaign to honor the child victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School and all of the children who have been victimized by gun violence. This is an opportunity for Americans to stand up and speak up for common sense gun safety measures to protect our children, not guns. We need to mobilize our communities to end the epidemic of gun violence that saturates and imperils our children’s lives. We believe that the overarching majority of Americans agree, we can do better – and we must do better,” said Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children’s Defense Fund.

Polls show the vast majority of Americans, gun owners and non-gun owners, police officers, military men and women, parents and community leaders, faith leaders and faith communities support universal background checks as a first step to making America safer for our children. This campaign gives all Americans who agree that we can do better user-friendly tools and sound information to make their voices heard.

Below are facts from the new campaign. The ads, research and information about other actions you can take to help create a better, safer America for all children are available at www.childrensdefense.org.

The number of children and teens killed by guns in one year would fill 134 classrooms of 20 students each. Too many children are still being killed or injured by gun violence. Isn’t it time to demand more common-sense ways to protect them?

Guns killed more preschoolers in one year than they did law-enforcement officers in the line of duty. Ask yourself if this is really what we as Americans meant by putting our children first?

American companies manufacture enough bullets each year to fire 31 rounds into every one of our citizens. How many more mass-murders will it take to get Congress to pass sensible gun regulation?

America’s military and law enforcement agencies have four million guns. Our citizens have 310 million. Every illegal gun on our nation’s streets increases the odds that our children could be killed by gun violence.

The number of children and teens killed by guns in 2010 was nearly five times the number of U.S. soldiers killed in action that year in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shouldn’t our legislators be as concerned about the wars at home as they are about the wars overseas?

Guns end the lives of seven children and teens every day in America. Seven every day. As a civilized nation, shouldn’t we be protecting our children more than we’re protecting our guns?