USING THE SHOCK VALUE OF WHAT ER DOCS SEE TO END GUN VIOLENCE

Recently I saw a segment on ER doctors who have organized for gun violence prevention. After all, these physicians are on the front lines and see the horrific aftermath of shootings first-hand. And then I remembered films like “Mechanized Death” that they showed us in high school as we were about to get our drivers’ licenses, and another anti-smoking film about lung cancer that showed lung removal surgery and a blackened, diseased lung — and then of course the by then laughable “Reefer Madness” in college. All were intended to have shock value in order to change behavior. I wonder if we could somehow make a film that would show the gunshot wounds inflicted upon victims with the same purpose in mind. It seems we are really insulated from the horrors of gun violence and its consequences. There is the yellow police tape and respect for the victims and their families that prevent us from witnessing the real horror. I am guessing if we did, it would have a visceral effect that would change hearts and minds, because we are all sick to death of “thoughts and prayers”.