Understanding and Depicting Gun Violence in Entertainment

This page includes data about different facets of gun violence in America, as well as valuable resources Everytown can provide for showrunners, producers, directors and other media content creators during all stages of production—from early writing and development through post-production and final promotion. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out directly to [email protected].

Introduction

Since our founding, Everytown for Gun Safety has worked closely with the creative community to harness its power to take the message of gun safety and responsibility to bigger audiences and bring even more people in the United States into the gun violence prevention movement.

The data and resources gathered here are intended to be used by showrunners, writers, directors, producers and other creators to inform storytelling work, calls to action and media appearances. 

Members of the Everytown Cultural and Entertainment Advocacy team are available to collaborate at each stage of project development, from research and scriptwriting to production, post-production and final promotion.

Services

Everytown’s Cultural and Entertainment Advocacy team can provide:

A Snapshot

Who Does Gun Violence Affect?

The majority of people in the United States have been impacted by gun violence. An astonishing 59% of adults in the United States or someone they care about have experienced gun violence in their lifetime.¹SurveyUSA, “Results of SurveyUSA Market Research Study #26602,” October 24, 2022, https://bit.ly/3JJuwLY. See question 29. See also Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, “Gun Violence Survivors in America,” February 1, 2023, https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-violence-survivors-america/.

Black People in the United States

Women in the United States

Children and Teens in the United States

Gun Suicide in the United States

LGBTQ+ People in the United States

Where Does Gun Violence Happen?

In Cities

In the Home

On School Grounds

In Public Places

• In recent years, the gun lobby has promoted a legislative agenda that would ultimately allow anyone to carry a gun anywhere at any time, no questions asked. As a result, legislators across all levels of government have considered bills that remove any and all limitation on gun carrying, which would allow guns in spaces like schools, public parks, bars, government buildings and polling places, and would let anyone carry a concealed handgun in public without a permit even if they have a violent criminal record and haven’t undergone any training.
• In fact, many states that have passed legislation that allows people to carry concealed guns without a permit or safety training have seen a substantial increase in firearm violence.

How Does Gun Violence Manifest?

Suicide

Homicide

Domestic Violence

Mass Shootings

• Everytown defines mass shootings as incidents in which four or more people were shot and killed or wounded, not including the shooter. 
• Between 2015 and 2022, over 19,000 people have been shot and wounded or killed in a mass shooting. In 2022 alone, over 600 people were killed, with over 2,700 wounded.²Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, “Mass Shootings in the United States,” March 2023, https://everytownresearch.org/mass-shootings-in-america/. Mass shooting defined as 4 or more people shot and wounded or killed.
• While mass shootings dominate media coverage and public interest, they represent a small minority of shooting incidents. Under no definition of a mass shooting would one count the 99% of gun violence that occurs in non-mass shootings.

Gun Violence by Police

Solutions

Learn more about these solutions on our Research & Policy site.

Myths and Facts

Over the last four decades, the leaders of the National Rifle Association (NRA) have steered the organization away from advocating on behalf of sportsmen and hunters and towards lobbying for the most extreme policies and opposing virtually all gun safety legislation. They’ve also successfully propagated a mythology around guns and gun violence in the U.S. that supports their radical agenda.

Writers’ Room Considerations

When developing a storyline that involves gun violence, consider investigating these questions:

• If a gun is present on screen or in a plotline, where did it come from? Was it obtained legally or illegally, and why is it accessible?
• Is the depiction of gun violence divorced from its physical and emotional consequences? That is, does the shooter feel the impact of pulling the trigger? Is the physical impact of a gunshot realistic? 
• Is there room in the plotline for the experiences of survivors—those who have been impacted, shot and have survived, or those friends and loved ones who lost someone to gun violence?
• If the content is intended to be reflective of current U.S. laws, is the action taken with the gun possible in that location? (For instance, open and concealed carry laws vary significantly from state to state.)
• Does the storyline promote inaccurate tropes (i.e. “good guy with a gun” and other myths)?
• Is there an opportunity to include a content warning for audience members?
• Are firearms depicted as being stored securely (by responsible characters)?

Content Warning

In our nation where 59% of adults report they or someone they care for have experienced gun violence in their lifetime,³SurveyUSA, “Results of SurveyUSA Market Research Study #26602,” October 24, 2022, https://bit.ly/3JJuwLY. See question 29. See also Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, “Gun Violence Survivors in America,” February 1, 2023, https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-violence-survivors-america/. it is important that we seek to actively resist re-traumatizing people who have been personally affected by an incident of gun violence. Although individual responses to a traumatic incident may vary widely, for some people, viewing and/or hearing graphic depictions of gun violence (, e.g. shooting footage, images of bodies, depictions of blood or gunshot wounds, and firearms held in a threatening way) may cause harm through re-traumatization. Exposure to graphic images and depictions may activate a posttraumatic stress response such as negative and distressing changes in thoughts, emotions, and behaviors for the individual who has a lived experience of gun violence.

If gun violence, an image of a firearm or component of a firearm is being depicted, it is important to provide a content warning so audience members understand what they are about to view and make the choice for themselves if they want to continue participating. A content warning may sound or read as the following:

During this [episode, film, video, performance] there will be images of a firearm and/or depictions of the reality of gun violence in order to illustrate [reason the images are included]. If this will be upsetting to you for any reason, please feel free to step away and take care of yourself.

How to Depict Secure Storage of Firearms

Best Practices

• It is always the gun owner’s responsibility to prevent unauthorized access to guns. 
• Hiding a gun in a closet, under a bed, on top of the refrigerator or anywhere else is not responsibly storing a gun. At a minimum, firearms should be depicted as being stored in a locked cabinet, safe, gun vault or storage case. The storage location should be inaccessible to children and unauthorized users.
• Gun locking devices render firearms inoperable and can be used in addition to locked storage. If firearms are disassembled, parts should be securely stored in separate locations.
• Ideally, guns should also be depicted as being stored separately from ammunition, with the ammunition locked in a separate location.
• Thoroughly double check firearms to confirm that they are unloaded when you remove them from storage. Unintentional shootings could occur if a family member borrows a gun and returns it to storage while still loaded.

Hold the Gun Industry Accountable

The role of the gun industry in perpetuating America’s gun violence crisis is another story waiting to be told. The gun industry hasn’t just capitalized on gun violence in America, they’ve enabled it — stoking fear, innovating to make their products deadlier, and marketing their products to young people. As communities around the country continue to suffer, the gun industry has refused to take responsibility for its role in the carnage, because at the end of the day, its dangerous business model runs on selling more guns to more people. When told, these stories can help hold the gun industry accountable for its role in this public health crisis.

Report: Gun Safety Depiction on Television

In collaboration with USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Media Impact Project, Everytown commissioned a report to study how gun safety and prevention measures are currently being depicted on television. The report also examined how different storylines about gun safety can impact viewers and highlights the importance of depicting gun violence prevention measures and gun safety practices.

Recommendations for Content Creators

The research described in this report highlights several strategies for content creators and other storytellers who wish to illuminate the realities of gun safety, gun violence prevention, and use of force in the criminal justice system:

A Trauma-Informed Approach to Sharing Images

1. Avoid portraying law enforcement use-of-force as heroic. Beyond canceling police dramas, content creators can complicate the narrative around use-of-force by avoiding portraying such actions as heroic and unproblematic. Consider showing law enforcement characters facing consequences or, at minimum, scrutiny, for such actions, which are rarely depicted.
2. Humanize depictions of those affected by gun violence. Nuanced depictions of gun violence survivors can help audiences understand the pervasive impacts of the gun violence crisis. These depictions can be broadened to include the effects on those who are shot and wounded and survive, as well as witnesses, those who are threatened with firearms, or friends and loved ones of those shot and killed.
3. Diversify depictions of those affected by gun violence. Consider that calling attention to the very real racial disparities in gun violence is a delicate balance. “Colorblind” depictions of victims may give audiences the impression that such disparities do not exist, but at the same time, constant media images of dead Black and brown men can be retraumatizing to members of these communities.
4. Include discussions of gun safety and common-sense gun laws. Gun violence, including shootouts between cops and criminals, is overplayed on TV. Gun safety represents a largely untapped story opportunity. When told, these stories can change hearts and minds and even shift policy support. For example: if choosing to depict or discuss a school shooting, content creators might consider explicitly drawing a connection to unsecure gun storage or gun laws in the show’s geographic setting.
5. Appeal to common values. Heavy-handed stories can be alienating to gun owners who feel their freedoms are being threatened or their beliefs mocked. Gun owners often support stronger gun laws and can be powerful voices in the gun safety movement. Instead of making gun owners the antagonist, appeal to the common values shared by parents and others who care about keeping children and communities safe.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) concept of a trauma-informed approach requires the following of an organization committed to a trauma-informed framework:

1. Realize the widespread impact of trauma and understand potential paths for recovery;
2. Recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in survivors, staff, volunteers, community partners and others involved with the system;
3. Respond by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and
4. Seek to actively resist re-traumatization.

Although individual responses to a traumatic incident may vary widely, for some people, viewing and/or hearing graphic depictions of gun violence, e.g. shooting footage, images of bodies, depictions of blood or gunshot wounds, and firearms held in a threatening way, may cause harm through re-traumatization. Exposure to graphic images and depictions may activate a posttraumatic stress response such as negative and distressing changes in thoughts, emotions, and behaviors for the individual who has a lived experience of gun violence. One way to mitigate the effects of re-traumatization is to include a content warning at the beginning of your story. See a full set of Writers’ Room Considerations above.

About Us

Glossary

Some of the terminology that is deployed when talking or writing about gun violence is imbued with weighted political or cultural meaning. For this reason, Everytown recommends alternatives for these commonly encountered terms:

Partner Organizations

Additional Resources

Storyline Partners

Storyline Partners is a diverse collection of organizations that collaborate with the entertainment industry to promote authentic, accurate and equitable cultural narratives in television and film. Everytown for Gun Safety is a founding member of Storyline Partners, which includes the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Domestic Workers Alliance, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE), Caring Across Generations, Define American, Harness, Color of Change, Illuminative, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) and Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) Hollywood Bureau. Connect with Storyline Partners at storylinepartners.com.

EveryStat 

EveryStat brings the most recent available data on gun deaths within instant reach. EveryStat breaks down gun deaths by state, county, intent, gender, race and ethnicity, and it includes key statistics on:

• Homicides, suicides, and unintentional shootings
• Domestic violence
• Gun deaths among children and teenagers 
• Shootings by law enforcement
• Shootings of transgender and gender-expansive people in America

Gun Law Rankings

Everytown Gun Law Rankings compares gun policy across the country, scoring every state on the strength of its gun laws and comparing it with its rate of gun violence. In states where elected officials have taken action to pass gun safety laws, fewer people die by gun violence. Choose a state to see how it stacks up on 50 key policies, or explore a policy to see how much of the country has adopted it. This tool has a direct application for location scouts and managers, production planners, security coordinators, and writers.

• Everytown Research & Policy
• #NotAnAccident index
• Be Smart for Kids

Contact Us

Key Dates

These dates correspond to year marks of highly public shootings, significant awareness-raising campaigns and cultural touchstones. Please note that this list is not comprehensive, and consult the Everytown team with questions about any specific timeframes.