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Michael Moore is very effective at mixing polemics with facts, but in the process he often contradicts himself. While this movie is ostensibly about the Columbine shootings, it evolves into an attack against the weapons manufacturing industry, K-Mart and the National Rifle Association, as those most responsible for the widespread proliferation of firearms and ammunition in America. But, as Moore points out, Canada has easy access to many of the same weapons, yet does not have such a violent culture, noting that less than 200 persons are killed by firearms each year, as opposed to 11,000 in America. So, it would seem the old adage, "guns don't kill people, people kill people," would aptly apply to this movie.
The violent nature of Americans is one that has befuddled sociologists and psychologists for decades. As Moore points out, American history is no more violent than is German, French or British history, yet these countries have a much lower murder rate than the US. Moore gets nearer his target when he illustrates that the "fear factor" seems to be the underlying factor, with commercial and political interests using it to get Americans to buy into the gun and security industry that has become such a pervasive part of our society. He contrasts this with Canada, where even in Windsor, across the river from Detroit, many Canadians don't lock their doors at night. For whatever reason, Americans seem to have had it inculcated into their heads that someone is out there to get them and that they better have a deadbolt lock and a gun on their bedside table.
Eventually, he circled back to the shootings at Columbine, even showing the eerie sequence of events on school cameras. The kids who shot up the school were classic loners, who used guns to vent their frustration on the school, weeks before graduation. What galled Moore and most parents of the school kids at Columbine was that Charleton Heston pitched up in Denver within a week to promote the NRA. He did the same in Flint following the tragic shooting of a 6-year girl by a 6 year-old boy. While Moore never gets behind the reasons, he does corner Heston for an interview at film's end.
But, it is his assault on K-Mart that yields the best rewards. He showed up at the national center with two of the boys who survived the shootings and demanded that K-Mart stop its sale of 9 mm bullets, which were used in the Columbine shootings. Much to his surprise and that of the media that had gathered to film the standoff, K-Mart agreed not only to stop selling 9 mm bullets but to phase out the sale of all ammunition in 90 days. Moore showed once again that you can stand up to the big boys and fight for what is right and win.
Unfortunately, his polemical stance often clouds this work as he vents his frustration with Clinton and Bush for not dealing with the issue of gun control like he thinks they should. He used Kosovo to highlight the indifference Moore perceived, by noting that a major bombing campaign occured the same day as the Columbine shootings.
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August 19, 2003 "Please retry" | Special Edition | 1 | $2.24 | $2.00 |
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