Firearms are the leading cause of death of American children—and a group of artists have banded together to change that.
Last week, Artist for Action, an advocacy group composed of talented changemakers, including Sheryl Crow, Kevin Bacon, and Peter Frampton, gathered at NYU’s Skirball Center for a fundraising concert and panel discussion.
At the heart of the event was musician Mark Barden, whose son Daniel was tragically killed in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012. His vow to his son, and his efforts to prevent future gun violence, were depicted in a documentary “A Father’s Promise.” The documentary was released last Friday, with Sheryl Crow serving as the film’s executive producer.
During the discussion panel, Kevin Bacon, who pledged to match all donations up to $25,000 to support Artist For Action and Sandy Hook Promise, and Sheryl Crow were critical of our nation’s response to a mass shooting each time it occurs.
“Part of what’s so frustrating us this level complacency that’s overtaken us,” Bacon said. “When we see there’s been a shooting, that’s no longer a shock. Unfortunately, it’s a political issue: But it’s kids’ lives. It makes no sense to politicize it.”
Crow, however, was more blunt when discussing the government’s failure to change and amend laws that result in thousands of deaths from gun violence in the U.S. every year, while also placing blame on the gun lobby. Drawing comparisons to how the government stood up to the tobacco lobby decades ago, she that explained that now is the time to stand up to the gun lobby, and there needs to be a think tank to make that happen.
U.K native, and current Nashville resident, Peter Frampton also contributed to the conversation. Describing the Dunblane massacre in 1996, Frampton pointed out it only took one shooting, with 14 people tragically killed, for the government to respond by swiftly passing buy-back laws. “It just goes to prove that if we keep pushing for gun reform in every way we can…it can be done,” Frampton said, while also drawing comparisons to Australia’s and New Zealand’s legislation in response to gun violence.
A concert followed the panel discussion, with each artist beginning their set by saying their name and stating, “I am an artist for action.”
This year’s “Everyday Hero” award was given to Vanessa Russell, who began as a dance teacher in 2000, teaching all genres of dance between ages 3 and 25. In 2010, she discovered that one of her 15-year-old students had been sold into human trafficking. Russell then realized, upon research and intense activism, that human trafficking, which she called “modern-day slavery,” is one of the nation’s largest yet most under-discussed emergencies.