"It was the morning of April 20th 1999, and it was pretty much like any other morning in America. The Farmer did his chores. The milkman made his deliveries. The President bombed another country whose name we couldn't pronounce. Out in Fargo, North Dakota, Cary McWilliams went on his morning walk. Back in Michigan, Mrs. Hughes welcomed her students for another day of school. And out in a little town in Colorado, two boys went bowling at 6 in the morning. Yes, it was a typical day in the United States of America."
- Michael Moore, director
Director Michael Moore works to expose the gun problem in America in this 2002 documentary. He focuses largely on the 1999 mass shooting that took place at Columbine High School in Colorado. Moore interviews a number of people to try to understand the cause of the high school shooting and the larger gun violence epidemic in the United States, including the president of the NRA, Columbine students and parents, residents of the town, and celebrities like Marilyn Manson. After the shooting, some people falsely believed violent video games or rock music with violent themes, like that performed by Manson, had influenced the shooters. Moore also speaks with Canadians about the gun culture in their country and their thoughts as to why the U.S. has such a higher level of gun violence. One interviewee stated, "If more guns make people safer, then America would be one of the safest countries in the world. It isn't. It's the opposite." In addition to interviews, Moore utilizes startling statistics and footage of war and U.S. weaponry used abroad to demonstrate the larger association between the U.S. and violence.
