It has been a year since Leo Burnett Chicago and Change The Ref put the US’ gun violence problem into headlines through the world by tricking David Keene, former president and current board member of the NRA into delivering the graduation speech to those 3,044 students, which were represented by empty chairs.
Change The Ref has created another highly visual demonstration of the problem. It has sent a convoy of 50 buses in a procession to the house of Texas Senator, Ted Cruz, before continuing to his office. The buses contained 4,368 empty seats, the number of children who have been killed in the US by gun violence since 2020. The buses were decorated with memorabilia of school shooting victims, including a kindergarten graduation card given to Sandy Hook victim, Chase Kowalski, and a LeBron James jersey worn by Parkland school shooting victim, Joaquin Oliver, whose parents launched Change The Ref.
Cruz is one of the most active voices for gun rights in the US and proposed that an increase in law enforcement in schools would be more effective than tightening gun control in the wake of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas two months ago.
The protest, The NRA Children’s Museum, is asking Cruz to implement universal background check legislation for those wishing to buy guns.
Change The Ref co-founder, Manuel Oliver, delivered a hand-written letter to Cruz’ house, that his son had written at age 12, five years before his death. The letter reads, “I am writing this letter to talk to you about how we’re going to solve this gun law movement, Most of you have a problem with the idea of universal back round [sic] checks. Why are you mad that there’s a back round check it’s for your own good maybe you are fond of having crazy people with death machines. You shouldn’t have anything against back round checks if you’re innocent.”
