Thoughts On "Bowling For Columbine"

The subject is guns, so I'm hunting, not fishing.

Twl, why so quick to make the gun control assumption? The filmmaker, Mike Moore, is a long time member of the NRA and an interview with Charleston Heston is one of the highlights of the film. Moore observes that in the U.S.A. on average 11,000 people a year are killed by guns which, even adjusted for population differences, is more than 10x higher that of other Western advanced economic nations. It's not a simple question and the movie doesn't treat it as such.

If a heavily armed populace is an effective protection for citizens, then why in the two nations where virtually everybody is armed, Afghanistan & Isreal, are their citizens so unsafe?

Thanks to all for the thoughtful responses. I started this post because I think "Bowling for Columbine" is an interesting and worthwhile film for everybody in the U.S. to see. What is so refreshing about the movie is that it actually dares to address a serious social issue. So few films today even try.

In a multiplex filled with remakes of remakes or stories based upon comics, "Bowling For Columbine" stood out as movie willing to tackle a serious socio-political issue. While I truly appreciate everyone's participation in this thread and find all of the positions and particularly the passion behind those postions most enlightening, I would prefer that we get back to the subject of politically oriented movies. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE POLITICAL OR ISSUE ORIENTED MOVIE? My vote goes to "The Godfather II". It's a searing indictment of the corroding effect of unrestrained capitalism on the family unit. As FFC said, "Micheal is America." My second place vote goes to "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". The townspeople get together and vote for statehood while their representative questions the true price of law and order. It stars John Wayne, Jimmie Stewart and Lee Marvin.