Bowling of Columbine

Bowling of Columbine

Michael Moore was triggered by the increased number of deaths caused by firearms without a civil war to film the Bowling of Columbine. The film, “Bowling for Columbine” explores the circumstances that led to the 1999 Columbine High School holocaust and the way of life that fostered it (Kerr, 64). The film drives home the painful reality that the United States has failed in gun control and in reducing gun violence. According to Moore, the main aim of the documentary was to see to it that there was no other school shooting, but sadly, many years down, there have been many more massacres. Five main points can be identified in Michael’s film. One, shootings are viewed as part of daily life in this society. At the start of the film, the Columbine shooting is considered to be a typical day. The gun culture overly spawned the Columbine shooting. The Columbine massacre was a consequence of the culture of a society that barely glorifies and values human life as compared to guns (Kerr, 60).

Second, there are many instances in this film that show the value this society has for weapons, for example, a bank that gives guns to its new customers who merely open an account and also a mother who believes that being armed is the only way to protect her children. Thirdly, weapons are easily accessible to everyone, even to teenagers. For instance, two students own guns despite their unpleasant history of arrest, have been in juvenile, and detention.

Additionally, in the US, gun culture is not only justified but also normalized. An interview conducted among gun owners showed that the people only felt safe when in possession of weapons. The film is satirical and aid individuals in thinking through societal behaviors viewed as destructive irrational, or delusional. Finally, the United States is seen to link with terrorists such as Saddam Hussein, which results in millions of people losing their lives (Lester 50)..

Watching the film makes one realize that gun culture was never the actual problem rather than doing anything about the culture. Other nations, for instance, Canada, have guns, but the number of gun violence is superbly lower as compared to the US (Lester 48). Therefore, the problem is not the gun culture but control. Moore interviews a residential man who gives him a tour that shows how a house can be protected and later tells him that the Columbine changed their way of life and that the indiscriminate killing was a mark of ferocity. However, years later, one is forced to wonder, was the Columbine massacre overwhelming while no measures on gun control were taken, and the number of shootings has relatively increased.

Moore, an intellectual, committed artist and an activist, is booed, given names, and even told that his career is over after he receives an Academy Award for his film, where he gives a speech condemning a day’s old war in Iraq. However, his career was only starting and has worked on many topics.

The roots of bloodshed resulting from gun possession are associated with easy availability of firearms, poverty, legalization of gun possession, and violent national history. The nation should work controlling the number of gun violence and how to save more lives.

Works cited

Kerr, Selina EM. “Columbine School Shooting.” Gun Violence Prevention? Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018. 57-71.

Lester, Paul Martin. “Documentary and Advocacy.” Visual Ethics. Focal Press, 2018. 46-54.