Texas child wears body armour in back to school advert

With summer drawing to a close, a back-to-school advert in the United States shows a child preparing for their first day of classes by donning body armour and a protective helmet.

Released by a political action committee known as Mothers Against Greg Abbott, the advert shows a mum helping her young son tie his laces and button up his shirt as he prepares to set off to school, with a song in the background singing about boys and girls 'following the rules' and politicians claiming to make the land 'safe and free'.

The mum draws back to capture the classic 'back to school' snap, but the image then cuts to reveal the boy wearing a black, bulletproof vest over his shirt, branded with the American flag.

Check out the hard-hitting ad below:

The release of the advert comes ahead of the 2022 Texas gubernatorial election, which will take place on 8 November and see residents elect the governor of Texas, a position currently held by Republican Abbott.

After showing the image of the schoolboy, the advert reveals the words: "Our children are not soldiers. Vote for change on November 8."

Mothers Against Greg Abbott, which is made up of 'mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts and grandparents who want change for Texas families', added a caption alongside the video which claims 'something feels different this year' as children prepare to go back to school.

When he looks at our children, Greg Abbott sees soldiers. It’s time to fight back. Together, we'll stand up to the extreme right’s divisive and dangerous policies -- and vote out anyone who stands in our way. https://t.co/pks7PEZLei pic.twitter.com/1k9k4eim1v

— Mothers Against Greg Abbott PAC (@MomsAGAbbott) August 17, 2022

"Our kids are not soldiers, regardless of what the extreme right thinks. Whether you're a Republican, a Democrat, or neither, it's time to come together and demand meaningful gun safety reform now," it continues.

Mothers Against Greg Abbott founder Nancy Thompson has previously accused Abbott of failing to introduce potentially life-saving initiatives presented by parents, telling Yahoo!: "Every single day we've been asking Governor Abbott for common sense gun laws, and he keeps on turning us down.

"Even the parents in Uvalde - they put together a petition and they've tried to talk to him numerous times asking for common sense gun laws and over and over again he has turned parents down. He's turned children down. He's turned Texans down, and that's just not acceptable."

The 'First Day of School' advert is the third released by Mothers Against Greg Abbott following two released last month. The first, titled 'Nothing Changes', shows a diverse group of mothers detailing the changes they want to see in the state, while the second, titled 'Whose Choice', condemned Abbott's anti-abortion laws.

Earlier this year, 19 students and two teachers lost their lives when a gunman opened fire at a school in Uvalde, Texas.

UNILAD has reached out to Abbott for comment.

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