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[via press release]

Kids’ WB! And “Static Shock” Present A Powerful Episode Addressing The Dangers Of Gun Violence

(April 23, 2002 – Burbank, CA) — Kids’ WB! and “Static Shock” address the issue of gun violence among today’s youth in a socially-responsible episode, entitled “Jimmy.” The powerful “Jimmy” episode will air on Saturday, May 4 (8:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT).

In this special episode, Virgil and Richie befriend shy classmate Jimmy Osgood, who unfortunately has become the focus of a school bully. After his laptop is destroyed, Jimmy is stuffed into a school locker and humiliated in front of his friends. Jimmy believes there is only one way to stand up to the bullies … by bringing a gun to school. As Virgil recounts that fateful day, he must come to terms with his pain and anger over a moment that forever changed his life and the people he most cares about.

Facts about Kids and Guns:

• Every seven hours a child or teen is killed in a firearm-related accident or suicide.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics

• 34% of children in the U.S. (representing more than 22 million children in 11 million homes) live in homes with at least one firearm.
The RAND Corporation, “Guns in the Family: Firearm Storage Patterns in U.S. Homes with Children,” March 2001

• 47% of high school students and 22% of middle school students said they could obtain a gun if they wanted to.
Josephson Institute of Ethics, “2000 Report Card: The Ethics of American Youth,” April 2001

“Static Shock,” based on the Milestone/DC Comics property, follows the adventures of quick-witted Virgil Hawkins, who becomes the electromagnetic “Static” – a super hero to his community. This high-adventure series introduces the first African-American teen animated superhero and tackles some of the real problems and issues faced by kids today, including gun violence, peer pressure, homelessness and growing up in an ethnically diverse urban neighborhood.