WATCH: Gun Reform Group Releases Startling New Ad For Newtown Anniversary

As the first anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting approaches, the nonprofit group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America has released an unsettling new television ad urging Americans to demand new gun safety measures.

The ad, which accompanies the group’s “No More Silence” campaign, depicts an armed gunman entering a school as people observe a moment of silence for the Newtown victims.

“On December 14th, we’ll have a moment of silence for Newtown,” the ad’s narrator says. “But with 26 more school shootings since that day, ask yourself — is silence what America needs right now?”

The campaign comes at a crucial moment for the gun reform movement, which has seen the momentum for tougher laws fade since Congress killed a bipartisan gun safety bill in the aftermath of the horrific shooting. According to a CNN/ORC International survey released Wednesday, 49 percent of Americans now say that they support stricter gun control laws — down 6 percent from CNN’s previous poll in January. The intensity of those who support tougher laws has declined as well; in January, 37 percent strongly favored stricter laws, while 27 percent were strongly opposed. That 10-percent gap has now disappeared, and now roughly equal numbers strongly support and oppose strengthening gun laws.