Sandy Hook Promise Releases 'Back-To-School' PSA

NEWTOWN, CT — Sandy Hook Promise released its yearly public service announcement video Wednesday in an effort to get people to know the warning signs of impending gun violence at schools.

The 2019 video “Back-To-School Essentials” starts off with students talking about the new items they received for the back to school season. It then takes a grim turn as students run away from a school shooter. One student uses a new sock to make a tourniquet to treat a shooting victim and others stand by a doorway with scissors and pencils in a last-ditch effort to fight the shooter.

The video ends with a girl texting her mom on her new phone while hiding in a bathroom.

Sandy Hook Promise has released at least one public service announcement video since 2016. The organization’s 2016 video has more than 11 million views on YouTube.

“School shootings are not inevitable. They are preventable,” Sandy Hook Promise said in a statement. “Millions of children are back to school. And we know our programs can protect them from school shootings, violence and other harmful acts.”

The video comes at a time where the U.S. experienced several high profile shootings in the last month, including incidents in Midland-Odessa, Texas, Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas.

More than 7.5 million people across the country have training from Sandy Hook Promise’s Know the Signs program. About 80 percent of school shooters told someone about their violent plans prior to an incident and 70 percent of people who commit suicide told someone about their plans or gave indications, according to Sandy Hook Promise.

Some of the warning signs include a strong fascination with firearms or school shootings, overreaction or aggressive behavior and extreme feelings of isolation. Bragging about easy access to firearms can also be a warning sign. The program encourages people who recognize potential warning signs to immediately talk to law enforcement, school officials or a mental health professional or to call 911 in the event of an emergency.

Sandy Hook Promise was co-founded by Mark Barden, Nicole Hockley and Tim Makris. Barden's son Daniel and Hockley's son Dylan were among the 20 children and six educators who were killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.

Below is the video, which has graphic content and may be upsetting for some viewers: