The director shot to fame with the acclaimed 2002 film about the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, during which two teenage boys murdered 12 of their fellow students and a teacher before committing suicide.
Moore’s film presented arguments in favour of tightening gun control laws in America to prevent similar atrocities, and the moviemaker admits he was utterly devastated when he heard a 20-year-old gunman had murdered 20 young children and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut last month (Dec12).
He tells the Associated Press, “I never thought I would have to, a decade later, stand here and say that that film of mine did no good. That to me is personally heartbreaking… I’ve made the film I wanted to make with Bowling for Columbine. Every word in it stands true to this day, which is the saddest thing.”
Moore also stresses his appeal for strict new gun laws, adding, “We have to ban the assault weapons, ban the semi-automatic weapons, ban the magazines that can hold more than 10 bullets… We should be licencing everybody with a gun. I have to have a licence for my dog. I have to have a licence for my car. If you’re going to do my hair later you have to have a licence… We don’t require a licence to own a firearm?…
“We are a violent people. We as Americans believe it’s OK to kill people… We have the death penalty, we sanction it… So why is it a surprise when the unhinged, who live in the same society, go ‘I feel like killing some people today?’ I think we need to take a look at ourselves.”
