Smells like victory! [View all]

[VScott]

Proud to say I was able to be part of it.

Dozens of billboards to replace landmark Mass. Pike sign
New sites donated as sign is removed


The Newton nonprofit that for two decades sponsored the eye-grabbing billboard along the Massachusetts Turnpike that inveighed against gun violence is promising to keep that message fresh in the minds of motorists with a new series of targeted ads.

Beginning Tuesday, Stop Handgun Violence will be “saturating” highway signs at three-dozen locations across the state, an interim solution until cofounder John Rosenthal finalizes construction of the Fenway Center complex over the turnpike.

The new highway signs being installed this week will read, “We’re Not Anti-Gun. We’re Pro-Life. Massachusetts Gun Laws Save Lives,” and feature a Bushmaster XM-15 assault rifle, with a white surrender flag poking out from the barrel.

Billboard space was donated by Clear Channel, Logan Communications, Total Outdoor, and Outfront Media, Rosenthal said. All but four of the signs will be on digital displays.

“It will be huge coverage,” Rosenthal said. “Having billboards all over the state that are literally positioned to have maximum exposure from the highways is a huge win.”

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/03/30/dozens-billboards-railing-against-gun-violence-replace-landmark-sign-turnpike/NVPbQBdhDH1NCMXDPuNnVJ/story.html#

But then... (No link... email alert)

Dear VScott, Please contact Clear Channel Outdoor/Boston TODAY and ask that they give GOAL equal space on billboards, or take the Stop Gun Violence messaging down. Please see release below with info.

Gun Owners' Action League (GOAL) Asks Billboard Companies To Take Down Discriminatory Messaging or Provide Equal Space

Northborough, MA. The Gun Owners' Action League today wondered if Clear Channel and other local billboard companies are playing an April Fools joke as it was released that John Rosenthal of Stop Handgun Violence is receiving free advertising promoting a false and discriminatory message.


The message being broadcast for Mr. Rosenthal, at no charge by the companies, provides inaccurate, discriminatory, and misleading information, which will do nothing to bolster firearms safety or prevent crime. "Our first thought was, is this a joke? Because the messaging certainly does not reflect reality." said Jim Wallace, Executive Director of GOAL.


Over the last two decades the restrictive gun laws of Massachusetts have been an abysmal failure, as demonstrated by the drastic increase in violent crime since the passage of these laws in 1998. The policies and messaging broadcast by Stop Handgun Violence have continually misled the public on the truth behind Massachusetts' gun laws. This long-term ruse is simply an effort to convince the general public to discriminate against the rights of law-abiding gun owners.


"If the billboard companies were really interested in saving lives they would grant space to GOAL. We have a proven record of providing gun safety and legislative solutions that work," said Mr. Wallace. "Since 1998, firearm related homicides have doubled and firearm related assaults have tripled."

So, what happened next?

Gun violence billboards pulled after protest

The advertising giant Clear Channel took down the billboards it donated to a campaign against gun violence, a decision the company said it made because the messages in support of firearms laws had become “politicized.”

The new ads, which went up Tuesday, drew an immediate backlash from gun rights advocates.

Clear Channel was the largest contributor to the billboard campaign, donating 25 of the 36 posted statewide. Stop Handgun Violence, which organized the effort, will soon have to remove its iconic, 252-foot billboard from the side of the Massachusetts Turnpike near Fenway Park.

The new billboards said, “We’re Not Anti-Gun. We’re Pro-Life. Massachusetts Gun Laws Save Lives,” and featured a Bushmaster XM-15 assault rifle with a white surrender flag in the barrel.

“This campaign has become politicized and misconstrued as a political position by our company, so we have taken it down,” said Clear Channel Outdoor spokesman David Grabert in a statement.

Grabert said the company had received “a number of messages expressing concern” about the signs.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/02/clear-channel-taking-down-gun-violence-billboards-amid-protest/5jX94oOKFPEVe5I32jPulI/story.html