The Ad Council has announced the launch of a $40 million gun violence prevention initiative to address the public health crisis and its impact on youth.

Announced during Northwell Health’s fifth-annual Gun Violence Prevention Forum, the initiative consists of an awareness campaign funded by members of the National Health Care CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention and Safety. The Ad Council also announced an initial $10 million seed grant committed by healthcare CEOs in support of an effort to raise $40 million over the next two years in support of the initiative’s large-scale plans to reduce firearm deaths and injuries in the United States. In collaboration with the National Health Care CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention and Safety, the Ad Council is convening a broad coalition across the advertising, health care, marketing, media, and tech industries to develop the initiative with pro-bono support from the ad agency GUT Miami.

A recent analysis of CDC data by KFF found that firearm injuries have been the leading cause of death among children and teens aged 1 to 19 for three consecutive years. In addition, Northwell Health published a study in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ flagship journal that reported 4,752 pediatric firearm deaths in 2021, a number that reflects a 41.6 percent increase from 2018 to 2021. And according to a new poll from the Ad Council Research Institute, 79 percent of adults in America find gun violence to be one of their top concerns. However, only 26 percent selected gun injuries as the leading cause of death among children, demonstrating a need for further education.

“Gun injuries are the number one killer of youth in America, a fact that demands action. But it’s an issue that cannot be confronted by just one organization alone,” said Ad Council CEO and president Lisa Sherman. “American hospitals deal with the ramifications of gun violence every day and we’re proud to partner with our nation’s leading hospitals and health systems, public health experts, and some of the best minds in the media and advertising communities to educate individuals on actions that can be taken to reduce the risk of gun violence and make our children, communities, and nation safer. Together, we can address this issue head on and reposition it as what this truly is: a public health crisis that impacts us all.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/gerenme)