Moore Gun Crime

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Michael Moore, director of Roger & Me and Fahrenheit 9/11, is back! This time, he confronts America’s love affair with guns. “Bowling for Columbine” exposes the faults in American gun laws and the devastation caused by the Columbine shooting. Moore’s excellent commentary questions the second amendment and the racism that is still present in twentieth century America. Moore sets out to expose the roots of gun crime. He looks at the factors that most people commonly feel causes others to commit such horrific acts: drugs, parent control, violent movies, video games and most apparently of all, heavy metal music. The media cited heavy metal music as a major catalyst in inspiring the teenage gunmen in Columbine. Michael Moore points out that…show more content…
Moore, once again stresses that most western countries in the world have seen growth in the popularity of violent films and gaming but there is no correlation in violent behaviour from kids elsewhere and again the murder rate is considerably lower in other countries. Gun ownership; many people think that the volume of guns owned in the USA is a major contribution to gun crime. America’s second amendment states that citizens have the right to bare arms. This out-dated part of the constitution has led to guns being easily obtainable. This is highlighted in the movie when Michael Moore goes to a bank to open an account and is given a free rifle as part of the package! A real surprise in the film is when Moore uncovers that Canada has a higher gun ownership ratio than the USA with nearly seven million guns in circulation, yet Canadian gun-related deaths are…show more content…
The fear of terrorism, the fear of invasion (the second amendment was built on this concept), the fear of race, fear of guns, fear of violence. This plague of paranoia and fear, installed by the American culture, is simply not present in Canada or other civilised countries. The film title is a reference to the story that is constantly mentioned throughout. It is the story of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris who were the two students that carried out the Columbine High school massacre. The title plays on the fact that the boys went bowling in the morning before school and then later committed their attack at their high school. The symbolism of bowling is mentioned elsewhere in the film. For example, Moore meets members of the Michigan Militia who use bowling pins in their shooting range and the skittles falling are a metaphor for the many that lost their lives. The National Rifle Association (NRA) has huge support in the US and strongly believes in the second amendment. Moore points out that the NRA creates a lot of fear and paranoia about the danger of not owning a gun. He interviews a gun-loving citizen who feels constantly threatened and feels that everyone should be armed. Easy access to weaponry is highlighted again with shops such as K-Mart, stocking heavy

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