Bowling For Columbine Gun Violence

In a society that is so politically divided, Michael Moore in the 2002 documentary Bowling for Columbine takes a look at social issues such as poverty and racism to see how they affect gun crime in the United States. On the journey to find the causes of gun violence, Moore interviews experts on crime as well as everyday Americans to ask about their opinions on firearm ownership and usage. He eventually concludes that the US’ lack of ammunition restrictions and paranoia are key factors in the ever increasing gun violence that plagues American communities. In Bowling for Columbine, Moore tries to persuade the audience to support gun control and restrictions by attempting to use logic, personal narratives and emotional appeal. Unfortunately, some of his persuasive techniques are ineffective and the documentary itself can also be quite hard to follow.

For example, Moore attempts to use logic and statistics but fails to deliver concrete evidence. Case in point, he states that the United States has more gun deaths per year compared to countries that have worse social issues without mentioning any sources. The date of these statistics are also not mentioned, suggesting that he might have cherry-picked the numbers to represent the …show more content…
Because he is experienced and well-known movie maker, most of the viewers of Bowling for Columbine will walk away from the movie believing what he says. For example, the average viewer may believe that Moore actually walked out with the rifle provided from the bank. He even asks, "Do you think it's a little dangerous handing out guns at a bank?" However, that is far from the truth. In fact, it would’ve taken many days for him to receive a gun, but that was retracted in order to exaggerate the supposed American gun culture to make it seem ridiculous and shameful. He also interviews authority figures such as the Windsor Police on their take on gun