The Right to Bear Arms

     In my Issues in Modern America class, we started watching a Michael Moore film, Bowling for Columbine. This very interesting film takes a look at all of the facts that could potentially lead to gun violence and, inevitably, the Columbine shooting of 1999. Our media, politics, and societal influences all play a role in violence, and especially gun violence. The film noted that compared to other countries, the United States has thousands more deaths due to gun violence. Comparing the U.S. with Canada, Moore points out that there is more of a fear of violence in the United States than there is in our northern neighborhood country. Above all theories, it seems that the documentary's director emphasizes the corruption in our media and gun control system. Michael Moore stresses the fact that the media portrays violence so much, that it is now a norm of our society. He goes even further to accuse our nation to be one full of fear and danger. It seems as if every single advertisement or news story is an effort to protect us or to make us better. This type of outlook on life, is what drives our nation to be so violent.
     Furthermore, Moore accuses the gun industry for the violence in our nation. It is way too easy to get a hold of a gun today, and it only escalates the gun violence that we have in America. Just because somebody buys a gun today in America, does not mean that we train them properly to use that gun in a responsible manner. Our "freedom to bear arms" is a disfunctional right of ours. It is one that gives us the tools to kill, and it does not properly teach us of the right's true purpose. The second amendment is not one that was designed for the purpose of murder, but rather for protection.
   Although Bowling for Columbine can be quite humorous and ironic at times, it is also a very disturbing movie. One of the most disturbing aspects of the film for me was the coverage of the National Rifle Association's (NRA) Convention, located in Colorado, just a few days after the Columbine shooting. Even though we all have a right to own a gun, I cannot believe that so many people would have the courage to host a public gathering of gun lovers. Just days after a national, and global, tragedy due to a lack of gun control, the NRA were shown to be disrespectful Americans. It sickens me that they would gather themselves, and ignore the sensitivity and outrage of their nation. They are ignoring the requests of a nation that they claim to be "defending for" with their guns. Bowling for Columbine is a very fascinating, liberal, documentary due to the realities that it portrays about our nation's faults.