Gun-Safety Group Asks Other Nations to Adopt U.S. Kids

If we can’t keep our children safe from gun violence here in the United States, maybe folks in other nations can.

Nonprofit Change the Ref—famous for its provocative and passionate firearms awareness and safety campaigns—just dropped some stark messaging across Paris, Lisbon, Madrid, Toronto, Vancouver and London.

Ads ask people in those markets to “Consider adopting an American child and taking them back with you to safety.”

They keep the appeal—designed to shame U.S. lawmakers—deceptively simple. No frills. No bells and whistles. 

So the horror rings out loud and clear, like … well, you know. Will jaded ears on these shores even hear?

“After six years of begging, demanding and suggesting options to minimize gun violence in our country, we have run out of entities that might be able to help,” say CTR founders Manuel and Patricia Oliver in campaign materials.

“The nation has become desensitized to the absurd reality of innocent people getting shot because a group of politicians decided to sell their souls to the gun industry. Today, we call for international attention with the main intention of revealing a corrupt system that glorifies guns above all else.”

Versions of the new work will run abroad and domestically on digital, social and OOH platforms.

Atlantic New York, and Lisbon agency Stream and Tough Guy (SaTG) assisted in campaign development.

The Olivers lost their son, Joaquin, alongside 16 others at the Parkland, Fla., shooting in 2018. Change the Ref’s “Lost Class” initiative, created with Leo Burnett, won four Grand Clios and is widely considered one of the most stirring cause-marketing efforts of all time.