91%: A film about guns in America | Are the gun control laws adequate?

Mai topics covered: Gun show loophole discussion, universal background check & Gun

ownership (Richie, 2016).

The documentary start with a mother-daughter mass shooting interview. The film cites

many laws and legislations available for gun control. Starting with the second amendment which

reads: A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the

people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed (Constitution of the United States ). This is

key as although the documentary seems conservative in the beginning it does focus only on key

issues about gun control, such as universal background checks and gun ownership rights.

The second part of the documentary opens the discussion to the gun show loophole

discussion, which is in fact the main focus of the documentary, universal background checks.

“The most recent legislative tussle centers on what advocates of gun control call the "gun show

loophole." Under federal law, licensed firearms dealers must run background checks on every

gun buyer. But at gun shows, which number 4,000 a year, private collectors can swap, trade and

sell without undertaking such checks. The National Rifle Association says that social science is

on its side: Few crimes can be linked to guns purchased at gun shows (Ambinder, 2002).”

Later the documentary takes a turn in a gun trade show, reporters interview NRA

members about their opinion on gun ownership. Some quoted less restriction but more

accountability. 74% of NRA Members support universal background checks. Their biggest fear

is that there would be a registry with names addresses and phone numbers which will in return

lead to personal prosecution of gun owners in case the U.S. Government wanted to seize or tax

guns in the future. The documentary again shed light on a few other massacres and the lack of

bipartisanship on passing regulations.

sold illegally, and later the individual that sold the gun admitted the wrongdoing and got 30 days

in prison. Admitting he thought the gun was going to be used to only rob a bank and no one

would get hurt. Some astonishing data is that civilian-owned guns increased from 200 million in

1994 to 300 million in 2004. From the inception of the Brady Act in 1994-2009, 1,925,000 gun

sales were denied through background checks. And 90% of denials resulted from prior criminal

activity.

Another example was Darion Richardson’s, On January 8, 2010, there was a robbery and

a shootout, and two little girls were killed. three homicides within three months, after a second

robbery that led to another homicide. The handgun was later found, once tracked to its original

owner. It was discovered that the gun was sold at a trade show no documentation was ever

drafted or filed. The perpetrator was never caught. 80% of violent crimes are done with illegal

guns or private seller gun sales.

Key points of the documentary, no gun cited in the documentary were purchased legally,

and every perpetrator was also not legally allowed to own a weapon (age, immigration status, or

crime record). If universal background check was in place those catastrophes could have been

avoided. Ultimately the documentary is divided by two tragedies, illegal gun-related murders and

the power of special interest groups advocating for gun sales.

(Docs, 2017)

This is a six-part documentary (each 15 minutes long) about America’s relationship with

firearms.

First Episode – The AR-15: exploring America's most wanted rifle.

First episode AR-15 and America’s Obsession with assault weapons. Start with a

domestic violence example of gun violence, girlfriend, and three other people. Automatic

weapons have been banned in the past, with the support of the NRA. Automatic weapons ( >10

rounds ) were allowed when first developed and from 1994-2004 were banned in the United

States. Deaths from automatic weapons accounted for over 541 since it became legal again in

2004. NRA denies guns are the problem and shifts to blame video games trying to create a

connection between mass shootings and violent video games. Currently, 5 to 10 million AR –

15’s there are in circulation in America ( not used in the military )

Episode 2 Inside’s Trump’s era of guns: the NRA silencers and deregulation.

The description of what gun ownership feels like. The romanticism of assault riffle and

their perceived outcome of control, power, and money. NRA and Trump support, and its

detrimental setback of gun control. It’s calculated that the NNRA spent over 30 million dollars in

TV ads and financial support for Donald Trump's campaign. The reality was gun ownership was

failing throughout the years. NRA was founded to be an organization that was supposed to

protect hunters and gun owners but ended up being corrupted by the deep pockets of the gun

manufacturers. Later the episode again swifts the blame from guns to islamophobia as to another

reason for mass shootings.

I skipped this episode as it just stated factual data on gang-related shootings in Chicago.

Episode 4 – Arming the classroom: The fight over guns in America's schools

This was by far the most constructive episode in my opinion, through the deregulation of

silencers and other noise-canceling devices to new policies over gun-safe zones the episode

touched on many hot topics. This episode handled the topic of guns in schools and universities,

the director did a great job of exposing both sides. One example was a former Marine that is a

current teacher and is taking classes in tactical shooting, the other is a mass shooting victim of

the FSU massacre asking for guns to be banned from university campuses.

Episode 5 – Smart Guns are here: the battle over high-tech guns in america

This episode was interesting, providing a solution to many accidental shootings and

possible prevention of homicides everywhere. There are technologies that can be used with

existing guns to lock them as you would a phone. Three companies were interviewed that

designed patented technology to lock guns, which would only allow usage to its rightful owner.

Some use fingerprint technology other use RFIDs and other wearable technologies, and the

future of firearms are as smart as cellphones. It made a very interesting view of how guns can

easily be made safer by not working if not unlocked.

Episode 6 – Driven by Fear: Handguns and the Rise of concealed carry

This episode starts with Trump’s rally about guns in America. As quoted “ if the good

guys had guns this would’ve not happened!”. Are normal citizens the solution to gun violence in

America? That’s ultimately what this episode discusses. Used the example of someone that was

shot in the head and still believes owning a gun is safe. The document goes over a few states and

its decision on concealed carry and background checks. California which has the toughest gun
laws has seen a triple fold in concealed carry in the past few years. In contrast, the documentary

points out examples that cops tend to overreact when they see guns (legal or not) and a few other

examples of concealed weapon flaws.

In conclusion, the director exposed every point of gun relationship there is the fanatic, the

sportsmen, the female using for self-protection, the marine, the tactical fan. Not once was guns

labeled bad, but many solutions to gun violence and gun safety were provided. The documentary

was unbiased over gun laws and to my understanding pro-gun ownership (with safety protocols)

Not overly dramatic, or not abusive to the victims the documentary did a great job exposing the

issues with gun relationships and providing solutions to gun violence.

Bibliography

Ambinder, M. J. (2002, February 28). Focusing on 'Gun Show Loophole' . Retrieved from ABC
News: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=121200&page=1
Constitution of the United States . (n.d.). Second Amendment . Retrieved from
https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-2/#:~:text=A%20well
%20regulated%20Militia%2C%20being,Arms%2C%20shall%20not%20be%20infringed.
Docs, A. (Director). (2017). Guns in America [Motion Picture].
Richie, J. (Director). (2016). 91% - A Film about Guns in America [Motion Picture].