A survivor of the mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater in July appears in a new ad calling on the public to push the presidential candidates for stronger gun control.
Stephen Barton, a young man shot in the face and neck less during the Aurora, Colo., shooting that left 12 dead and dozens injured, stars in the ad, which takes place in an empty theater setting.
"I was lucky," Barton says in the ad. "In the next four years, 48,000 Americans won't be so lucky, because they'll be murdered with guns in the next president's term—enough to fill over 200 theaters. So when you watch the presidential debates, ask yourself, 'Who has a plan to stop gun violence?'"
The first presidential debate takes place on Wednesday in Denver.
Produced by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a coalition of mayors led by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston's Thomas Menino, the ad is expected to air nationally.
The 30-second spot pushes viewers to the website DemandAPlan.org where the public can gain more information on gun violence and the mayors' ongoing campaign for greater attention to this issue. It includes a petition asking President Obama and Republican nominee for president Mitt Romney for a "plan to end gun violence."
"What we need from our nation’s leaders is more than just a moment of silence -- we need a moment of courage," reads the petition.
The group released a similar ad last month featuring survivors of the Tucson, Ariz., shooting in which former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords survived being shot in the head.
