[2dogs]

http://eiconline.org/violence/tipsheet2.html

This is the second in a series of bi-monthly emails that the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC) thought might be of use to you when considering potential story lines. Cognizant of the criticism and scrutiny generated in Washington toward the creative community, we recently convened a Round Table of writers, directors, producers and other industry professionals to brainstorm alternative approaches to traditional "shoot-em-ups" -- approaches that are more aligned to what actually happens in the real world.

Hopefully, these depiction suggestions will not only be the impetus for fresh story ideas, but will imbue scripts with a realistic sense of gun violence consequences for people on both sides of a pointed weapon. They are designed to enhance the creative process -- not limit it.


DEPICTION IDEAS


Consider depicting the reality that women are far more likely to be shot by husbands or lovers than by an intruder. Odds are that a gun in her home will be used against her rather than in her defense.

Consider showing bartenders or bar owners being prosecuted or held civilly liable for gun injuries caused by a drunken patron who is known by them to carry a weapon (akin to the prosecution of bar owners for traffic deaths caused by drunk drivers).

When appropriate, incorporate parents having heart-to-heart talks with their children, especially teenagers, about guns not being an acceptable resolution to the problems they face with schoolyard bullies or anything else.

Emphasize, where possible, the legal penalties invoked against "straw purchasers" who act as intermediaries between gun dealers and persons who are legally restricted from buying guns themselves.

Consider showing someone who is attempting to use a gun in self-defense being overpowered by the attacker who then uses the gun against him or her.

Attempt to show safe ways school kids can tip off the police or school authorities that a fellow student has a gun, and show that this action can bring about a positive outcome.

Consider showing that even so-called "toy" guns, like pellet or BB guns or prop guns, can cause real injuries and even death.

Give thought to starting the story after any gun violence has already occurred, and confine the plot line to the aftermath -- detection, prosecution, coping of survivors, and so on.

Consider occasionally having "junk" guns misfiring or jamming at critical times, as these guns are prone to do so after a period of use.

Consider depicting people as feeling less safe, rather than more safe, when they find their neighbors becoming increasingly armed.


SOME RELEVANT INFORMATION


A gun in the home is 22 times more likely to be used to shoot a family member or a friend than an intruder (Kellerman et al., Journal of Trauma, 1998, 45.2).

Women are 12 times more likey to be shot by a spouse or loved one than by a stranger (Saltzman et al., Journal of the American Medical Association, 1992: 267; FBI Supplementary Homicide Report, 1997).

62% of shooters involved in homicides had alcohol in their blood (American Journal of Forsenic Medicine and Pathology, analysis of 1982-85 data).


For more information on gun violence, safety, and injury prevention,
please contact Barbara Lurie at 818/955-6845 or blurie@eiconline.org.

[2dogs]

http://eiconline.org/violence/tipsheet3.html

This is the third in a series of bi-monthly emails that the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC) thought might be of use to you when considering potential story lines. Cognizant of the criticism and scrutiny generated in Washington toward the creative community, we recently convened a Round Table of writers, directors, producers and other industry professionals to brainstorm alternative approaches to traditional "shoot-em-ups" -- approaches that are more aligned to what actually happens in the real world.

Hopefully, these depiction suggestions will not only be the impetus for fresh story ideas, but will imbue scripts with a realistic sense of gun violence consequences for people on both sides of a pointed weapon. They are designed to enhance the creative process -- not limit it.


DEPICTION IDEAS


Try incorporating statistics on gun usage into scripts by having appropriate characters, like law enforcement personnel, DA's and teachers cite them. For instance most people don't know that guns are more often used for suicide than homicide. (54% of gun deaths were suicides, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1999)

Consider highlighting the fact that teenagers often act impulsively and the presense of guns may increase the likelihood that a transient emotion may turn into a fatal event.

Consider having characters criminally charged for simply brandishing a firearm.

Try to emphasize that offenders get stiffer sentences if they use a gun in the commission of their crimes.

Consider pointing out the inadvertant injuries caused by bullets shot into the air by holiday celebrants. What goes up must come down, sometimes with lethal force.


SOME RELEVANT INFORMATION


In 1994, nearly 90% of homicide victims 15 to 19 years were killed with a firearm. -National Summary of Injury Mortality Data, CDC, 1987-94

In the U.S. ten children less than 20 years old are killed by handguns everyday. -National Center for Health Statistics, 1996

[2dogs]

http://eiconline.org/violence/tipsheet4.html

This is the fourth installment of the "Gun Violence and Safety: Calling the Shots" tip sheet emails provided by the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. that may be of use to you when considering future story lines. Included in this e-mail are depiction suggestions focusing on realistic alternative approaches to traditional fight scenes involving gunplay.

These suggestions were generated by a Round Table of writers, directors, producers and other industry professionals aiming to show creative alternatives to the usual fare, while compromising neither authenticity nor artistry. Hopefully, these depiction suggestions will not only generate fresh ideas, but also give a realistic sense of the consequences resulting from violent acts involving guns, and the ways lives on both sides of a pointed weapon are affected. The following suggestions are designed to enhance the creative process, not to limit it.


DEPICTION IDEAS



If appropriate to the story, consider exploring a gun dealer's or a gun supplier's remorse about the harm done by someone to whom he or she furnished a firearm.


Consider having a character use a gun in what he/she believes is self-defense only to be charged with murder or manslaughter because it's determined that excessive or unjustified lethal force was deployed.


Consider having characters successfully use alternatives to guns for self-defense, such as pepper spray or mace.


When appropriate, try to depict parents, teachers, counselors, and even peers giving advice to young people about alternate forms of conflict resolution.


Try to provide role modeling behavior by showing friends trying to dissuade a character from arming him/herself after the gun death of a friend or family member.

STATISTICS


A new handgun is produced in the U.S. every 12 seconds. (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms estimate, 1994)


15% of 6th through 12th graders surveyed said they had carried a handgun at some time during the prior 30 days. (Louis Harris research poll, 1999)


In one survey, 45% of people arrested reported the illegal firearm market as a primary source for obtaining guns. (National Institute of Justice, Sept., 1995)


On average, more than one woman every day of the year is shot and killed by her husband or intimate acquaintance during the course of an argument. (Analysis of 1996 Washington D.C. homicide data, Violence Policy Center, 1998)

[2dogs]

http://eiconline.org/violence/tipsheet5.html

This is the fifth edition of our "Gun Violence and Safety: Calling the Shots" electronic tip sheet, provided to you by the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. These suggestions originated from a panel of writers, directors, producers and other industry professionals formed to seek creative alternatives to the standard depiction of firearms on-screen.


DEPICTION IDEAS



Consider portraying a gun manufacturer making the right decisions in choosing to design a safer firearm.


Try making the point that having guns in the house may actually increase the possibility of home invasion robbery since firearms are an attractive target for theft.


Consider having characters successfully use alternatives to guns for self-defense, such as pepper spray or mace.


Consider showing a parent chastising his or her spouse for leaving a gun where their children can find it.

STATISTICS


About 1.4 million homes with about 2.6 million children kept firearms in a place very accessible to children. —American Journal of Public Health, April, 2000


A murder of a household member is almost 3 times more likely to occur in homes with guns than homes without them. —Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health Center for Gun Policy


58% of all unintentional firearm deaths involve young people 10-29 years old. —Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1994


Assaults on family and intimates involving firearms are 12 times more likely to result in death than are assaults using other types of weapons. —Saltzman, J. et al, Journal of the American Medical Association, 1992, 267


We hope that our facts and ideas give you not only fresh ideas, but also a realistic sense of the consequences of violent acts involving guns. As always, the suggestions are designed to enhance the creative process, not limit it.

[geekWithA.45]

Oh, they want realism, do they?

-Consider showing responsible armed citizens calmly not using their firearms, and blood thirstilly shooting up everything at every opportunity


-Consider showing firearms in a realistic context, such as family day at the range.


-Consider showing a civilian character who carries a firearm, and tucks it into his holster as part of getting dressed in the morning. Shock you audiences by never having him display it, even once, as he goes about his day.

-Consider showing a well mannered kid ask their mom or dad if they can go to the range this Saturday.


-Consider showing the audience the fact that most permit holders who actually go to the range generally shoot better than most police.


-Consider showing a well informed kid explain myths, fallacies, and safety to his or her peers, and prevents their peers from gaining access to their parents firearms.


GRRR.

[cuchulainn]

FWIW, this stuff is from a few years ago. That sites been up two or three years, and nothing has been added to the gun depiction ideas -- mayhaps they got ignored and dried up? (I agree, though, that it's silly and annoying).