ID Slates Special on Gun Violence

SILVER SPRING: This August, Investigation Discovery (ID) will air a special produced by NBC News’s Peacock Productions about gun violence on U.S. university campuses.

Guns on Campus: Tamron Hall Investigates will air August 7. The one-hour special will see Hall visiting the University of Texas Austin, where, 50 years ago, engineering student Charles Whitman killed 16 people, marking the first major shooting on an American college campus. She will speak to first-responders and eye-witnesses of the August 1, 1966, attack, as well as faculty and students about the debate. In Texas, the recently passed SB11 law allows students to carry concealed weapons on campus.

“In a country with a history of more than 270 school shootings, will putting more guns in the hands of students and faculty prevent bloodshed, or be the cause of further death and injury?” Hall asks. “Is there common ground which might provide a path forward towards school safety or will ideological opposition prevent progress? I am eager to probe all of these questions and more to help provide some context—historical, legislative and personal—to this multifaceted debate.”

Henry Schleiff, group president of Investigation Discovery, American Heroes Channel and Destination America, stated: “Tamron’s ability to connect with viewers through her unique—and very personal—storytelling approach is the reason why we chose her to tackle this very controversial, indeed, nation-dividing, topic of guns on college campuses. Tamron does an incredible job of explaining the framework behind this complex issue which will leave you questioning your position, regardless of what side of the issue you are on.”

Sharon Scott, president and general manager of Peacock Productions, added, “By sharing with viewers the many sides of this polarizing issue, we hope the conversation continues in a meaningful and impactful way.”