“Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA” Image provided by Frontline
The story opens with the 2011 shooting in Tucson of 19 people with a semiautomatic weapon, a planned attack in which six were killed and Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was critically injured. From there, the tale only gets more tragic, politically, socially and otherwise.
In “Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA,” a major documentary airing Jan. 6 on PBS, “Frontline” traces the familiar news coverage and the expectation that President Obama would give a major speech on gun control as a result. Instead, the silence was deafening:
Paul Barrett, author of “Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun,” recounts, “It was an extraordinary moment and an extraordinary commentary on the advantage that the NRA enjoys…the the tilt toward the side of the debate that says there is simply nothing more to be done about regulating the civilian ownership of guns. We just–The issue is off the table.”
The documentary moves on to Columbine High School, Newton, Sandy Hook…Familiar clips of Charlton Heston preaching against gun regulations follow. The film is heartbreaking, notably when Colorado’s Tom Mauser, a Columbine parent, says he was “livid” that legislation was blocked after his son and others were killed. The film is instructive, noting the NRA spent $20 million on the 2000 election. The film is also depressing, as it pieces together how public outrage has been beaten back by political realities every time. Depressing, but important.
