Chilling new Texas gun violence ad takes aim at 'thoughts & prayers'

The new spot has been viewed nearly 4 million times since it was posted on Thursday. 

A new ad from Mothers Against Greg Abbott and Mothers for Democracy shows adults praying as a child drowns instead of helping her.   Mothers for Democracy

A new Texas ad against gun violence dubbed "Thoughts & Prayers" is going viral this week for its chilling message. On Thursday—the 11th anniversary of the Sandy Hook mass school shooting—the Mothers Against Greg Abbott PAC and their partners Mothers for Democracy premiered a new spot criticizing the " thoughts and prayers " that always follow such tragedies. 

See Clip here.

As the child is shown floating lifelessly in the background, several people approach the woman to comfort her by saying: "My thoughts and prayers are with you." This includes a couple having drinks in the same pool and a neighbor who shouts out "thoughts and prayers" as he continues to mow his lawn. None try to save the drowning girl. 

"The number one killer of children in the United States is not drowning or car wrecks or cancer," reads the ad. "The #1 killer of children in the U.S. is gun violence. Thoughts and prayers are meaningless when you can act." On X, formerly known as Twitter, the short video in favor of gun reform has been viewed nearly 4 million times and reposted over 16,000 times. 

In a statement, Mothers for Democracy said the video "points out the hypocrisy of people who say 'thoughts and prayers' while going on with their lives as if nothing happened. They would rather stand around and say “thoughts and prayers” instead of saving children's lives."