Denver participates in new social media campaign aimed to tackle gun violence among Gen Z
Denver is now one of 12 cities across the nation participating in a new social media campaign aimed to tackle gun violence.
Their goal is to create a new cultural narrative around guns.
Project Unloaded, an organization working to stop gun violence is using TikTok to target teens between the ages 13-17 with the message that they're safer not using guns.
Nina Vinik, founder and executive director of Project Unloaded tells CBS News Colorado, they chose Denver as one of the cities because of its large diverse "Generation Z" population and the impact gun violence has in Colorado communities.
"Gun violence is a crisis in our country and it is a crisis particularly devastating young people," Vinik said.
Project Unloaded is taking its social media campaign "SNUG" which stands for "Safe Not Using Guns" to the TikTok platform.
"It is really about delivering a message to Gen Z that guns don't make it us safer, the idea that we need guns to be safer is a myth," Vinik said.
They're using social media influencers to put this message out there.
While they're scrolling TikTok, they might come across an ad explaining statistics and facts on how guns don't make many safe.
"The most common reason that someone gets a gun is for safety, the facts are clear that we're' all Safer Not Using Guns, through Project Unloaded's SNUG campaign, we're reaching young people on the platforms where they spend their time with that straightforward message and asking them to decide," Vinik said.
This is their latest effort in tackling the violence in big cities nationwide.
"We need to recognize the role that our gun culture is playing, driving up deaths and really take on that myth head on," Vinik said.
The founder of Struggle of Love, an organization that provides opportunities for underprivileged youth and families to access year-round services, says he understands why these campaigns are crucial.
Joel Hodge, says he knows the pain of mishandling these weapons very well.
"It is getting more and more dangerous…so what do we tell our children that have to go out and play in this and work in this or go to school in this, do we tell them no? Or do we teach them?" Hodge asked.
He believes education is the key in changing the cultural narrative of gun use in the country.
"Talk to your children, spend a little time with them, figure out where they at and reach out for help," Hodge said.
Injuries from mass shootings have reached a record high in Colorado as ads on social media continue as an effort to curb gun violence.
According to Project Unloaded, in its pilot phase, 15% of teens who saw the SNUG campaign shifted their views against the myth that guns made them safer.
Project Unloaded works to create a similar shift in gun use and gun deaths.
SNUG features collaborations with social media influencers, who have significant Gen Z audiences including Heather Mari, Tay Marquise and Avi Angel.
SNUG ads share messages from those influencers, as well as fact-based messages about the risks of carrying firearms and having guns at home.
The $500,000 campaign is reaching teens through TikTok in 12 cities this fall and winter.
The cities the campaign is targeting are Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, Seattle, and Tampa.
