This Gun Control Ad Takes A Strange Turn For The Better

A new gun control ad released this week called “Playthings” features two young kids playing with some of their parents’ belongings that should have been hidden much, much better. And no, it wasn’t guns.

The ad shows two women chatting as one woman is dropping off her son to play with the other woman’s son. What looks like a family-friendly commercial, which could easily be promoting a laundry detergent or cereal, takes a strange turn when the two boys run out of the house past the moms in an imaginary sword fight… except instead of swords — the boys are holding giant, colorful dildos.

The mothers become awkward and then the narrator says, “If they find it, they’ll play with it.” At this point you’re thinking maybe this is a sex toy ad. But then the narrator continues, “So always lock up your guns.”

Sooo, the dildos had nothing to do with the message?

Not exactly.

The gun safety advocacy group, Evolve, is behind the ad, and they created it to start a conversation around gun responsibility among adults. The ad was launched just in time for summer when kids are constantly going to other kids’ houses for playdates or sleepovers, and reminds parents that the word “gun” should not be shunned. If it’s okay to ask other parents about allergies and pool fences before dropping your kids off, why can’t they ask if there are guns in the house?

Conversations about gun control between parents shouldn’t be taboo, so this ad addresses that by creating what is probably the most taboo situation a parent could find themselves in with another parent.

Evolve’s co-founder, Rebecca Bond, told Huffington Post, “[The ad] presents it in a way that’s humorous, it creates some levity for engaging someone in the conversation.”

So parents, take note. If you want to have a serious conversation with other parents or your children about gun safety, just look at it this way: at least you’re not talking about dildos — or so we hope.

Romina Puga is a pop culture reporter and producer for Fusion. You can find her on “Fusion Now,” Fusion’s daily TV updates, going over new movies, music, apps, and why D’Angelo is still sexy.