Review of Bowling for Columbine (2002) by Brad G — 11 Jan 2011

Eerily I had this movie set to record before the Tucson shootings happened. It appeared on my DVR just a day after that tragedy, so I thought it was a very appropriate time to give the film my attention.

Right away the film debunks preconceived notions you may have about director Michael Moore. He was a champion marksman during his school days, and is a card-carrying member of the NRA. So this isn't a case of an out-of-touch liberal pansy trying to get guns completely banned. Instead the film's driving purpose is Moore's quest to find out WHY the U.S. seems to have a much greater problem with gun violence than most other nations.

He doesn't necessarily provide a final answer to this, as the problem is quite complex. But he does offer a few theories. One is that our nation is fed a disproportionate amount of fear and violent crime in local and national news. It's easy for me to sympathize with this view, as I've always held an extremely low opinion of news broadcasts for this reason. Once this mindset of communities in constant conflict is accepted as the norm, it follows that violence might be more readily perpetrated in those communities.

Moore also points to the fact that violent conflict has been long a part of American history, both in military encounters and civil rights history. He interviews several people who show a level of defiance and paranoia about their right to own guns that seems a bit extreme. As stated earlier, Moore himself is a gun owner, but the attitude of some of his subjects is that they almost expect to be attacked at all times. This of course feeds back into the theory that a mindset of fear is cultivated to abnormal levels here in the States.

The solution to the problem of gun violence is multifaceted, but I do believe the problem itself is rooted in fear and racism. The solution has to involve some component of education, which a film like this can help provide. Especially with the events of this week, everyone should try to check this film out and start thinking about these issues more intently.