America’s confusing relationship with guns continues as gun violence stays as the leading cause of death for children in the US.

Sandy Hook Promise has been fighting for change since the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. In its latest PSA, A Teddy Bear’s Dream, by BBDO New York, a teddy bear, the symbol of innocence and comfort for children, highlights the organisation’s message that gun death doesn’t have to be one of parents’ greatest fears for their children. The PSA This is built around the notion that children deserve to be children and teddy bears belong in children’s arms, not at shrines and memorials in the aftermath of school shootings.

Following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012, more than 60,000 bears were sent to Newtown – so many that a storage facility was required. These bears, meant for playtime and companionship, have since become a go-to object placed at memorials. In the PSA, images of multiple shrines from numerous tragedies are shown, including piles of teddy bears outside of Sandy Hook Elementary, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and Robb Elementary.

The PSA was directed by Henry-Alex Rubin through production company Smuggler, and is set to the song, Best of Friends from the 1981 Disney classic film, The Fox and the Hound. The song captures the essence of childhood companionship.

Supporting the PSA is Sandy Hook Promise’s guide for recognising the warning signs before school shootings and a a limited-edition teddy bear called the Hope Bear, offered for sale with all proceeds going to gun violence prevention educational programs.

BBDO NY has worked with Sandy Hook Promise over the past decade. Its 2020 campaign, Back-to-School essentials won an Emmy.

“Parents in the US are reporting increased levels of anxiety and fear about the potential for violence happening in their children’s school. This fear is based in a very real and saddening reality, with 2023 and 2024 having the highest incidents of school shootings ever recorded,” said Mark Barden , co-founder and co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, and father of Daniel, who was killed in the

Nearly 40% of parents in the organisation’s recent survey said they think about “the possibility of a school shooting or safety threat at their child’s school” on a weekly or daily basis.