06-21-2013, 06:02 AM
There are, in increasingly frightening numbers, cells of angry men in
the United States preparing for combat with the U.S. government. They
are usually heavily armed, blinded by an intractable hatred, often
motivated by religious zeal. Theyre not jihadists. They are white,
right-wing Americans, nearly all with an obsessive attachment to guns,
who may represent a greater danger to the lives of American civilians
than international terrorists.
Editorial
Peril from 'patriots'
Los Angeles Times
The U.S. needs to keep a close watch on the growing threat of home-grown
extremist groups
March 8, 2013
Read more:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/edit...4361.story
-------
Movie Review: Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire
By Nick Leghorn *
Contributor
The Truth About Guns
June 6, 2013
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/06...nder-fire/
Kris Koenigs Kickstarter funded documentary, Assaulted: Civil Rights
Under Fire, started life as a film about the state of gun control in
California. But thanks to the post-Newtown gun control fervor on a
national level, the project blossomed to encompass the entire debate and
not just the trainwreck that is California. The film is coming out on
June 20th with Ice-T as the narrator, but they gave us an advance copy
to review. So, will those of us who invested be getting our moneys
worth of 2A-defending goodness? . . .
The entire time I was watching this film, I kept asking myself would my
mother watch this? As many of you know, my mom is a staunch gun control
advocate and firmly under the spell of the MAIG/Brady/HuffPo/CSGV
anti-gun axis. And the reason I was using her as a litmus test was that
shes pretty much the poster child for the kind of low-information voter
who might be swayed by the right argument hopefully at least some of
the audience who will see the movie. But honestly, I just dont see that
happening.
The documentary is smoothly polished, well thought out and it cogently
presents the argument that gun rights are a fundamental civil right. The
producers provide support in both historical and legal terms. They even
went so far as to include a re-enactment of the Battle of Athens,
courtesy of Bagwell Entertainment, to bring the story to life.
The addition of Ice-T as a narrator was a nice touch, keeping the movie
as far away from the old fat white guy stereotype as possible. And
throughout the film, Kris obviously opted for as many non-OFWG
representatives as possible to speak about guns, which is fantastic for
our image. But in this case, Ice-T may not have been the best choice.
Morgan Freeman he is not, and his speaking style becomes distracting at
times.
As for content, for someone who believes in gun rights, this film was a
confirmation of all of your beliefs. It presented all of the arguments
that I found personally persuasive when I was formulating my own
position on firearms, and does it in a way thats approachable and logical.
But that I think might be the documentarys downfall: its heavily
weighted toward the pro-2A side. Even the title of the film, Civil
Rights Under Fire, portrays gun control as an assault on Americans
fundamental civil rights. And while I agree that it is, thats probably
not a title that will be packing the theaters with many Moms Demand
Action members.
Gun control advocates will be looking for a balanced examination,
something closer to the investigation of the AR-15 that CNBC released
recently. A vehicle in which the Brady Campaign and MAIG will be allowed
their time on the soapbox to preach their message of civilian
disarmament, and be treated as valid opinions. But the only time that
happens is in one segment where a Brady Campaign spokesman discusses the
features that make a firearm an assault weapon. And after every
feature Kris immediately follows it up with a swift and succinct
rebuttal from gun guys pointing out how idiotic the Bradys opinion is.
Dont get me wrong, I enjoyed it almost as much as watching Carolyn
McCarthy talking about the shoulder thing that goes up. But for a gun
control advocate, its like watching someone kick your puppy.
Yes, documentaries are supposed to advance an idea or agenda based on
evidence provided, and Kris film does that beautifully. But for that
same reason, I can very easily see the gun control advocates labeling
this as propaganda and advising their true believers that anyone who
even watches it is a whackjob. Its a film that presents facts, history
and logic in a debate where emotion has swayed so many people into
abandoning their right to self defense, and while it tries to pluck
those same emotional strings it falls short in that sense. Emotion based
voters, like my mom, will not be swayed.
This film is fantastic for those who love their firearms-related civil
rights. It will strengthen the resolve of gun owners to fight for their
rights, and it might even get some people off the fence who were
previously ambivalent to the cause. But I dont see this making any
progress among those who have long been drinking the civilian
disarmament Kool-Aid.
MPAA rating: PG-13 for violent disturbing images and brief strong language
Running time: 1 hour, 19 minutes
Kris Koenig has announced the theaters that will be showing his new
documentary, Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire on the June 20-23rd
opening weekend. Be there or be square . . .
Playing: At AMC Burbank Town Center (CA)
AMC Orange Orange County
AMC Stony Brook 17 New York
AMC Barrett 24 Atlanta
AMC Grapevine 30 Dallas
AMC First Colony 24 Houston
AMC Arizona Center 24 Phoenix
AMC South Barrington Chicago
AMC Hoffman Center 22 Washington, DC
AMC Sunset Place 24 Miami
AMC Westminster Promenade 24 Denver
AMC Alderwood 16 Seattle
AMC Barton Creek 14 Austin
AMC Deer Valley 16 SF Bay Area
Phoenix Dos Lagos Corona, CA
Carousel Greensboro
Trailer: "Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire" Documentary on Gun Rights
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/06...nder-fire/
* Nick Leghorn is a gun nerd living and working in San Antonio, Texas.
In his free time, he's a competition shooter (USPSA, 3-gun and NRA High
Power), EMT-B and enjoys mixing statistics and science with firearms.
Now on sale: Getting Started with Firearms by yours truly!
---------
'Assaulted' documentary advocates for gun rights
By Glenn Whipp
glenn.whipp@latimes.com
Film critic
Los Angeles Times
June 19, 2013
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/mov...4817.story
For a gun-rights advocacy documentary that opens with a fluttering
American flag and a twangy country vocalist singing "got a gun to keep
us strong / that's what our country was founded on" (the next verse
violates the Old Testament's Fourth Commandment ... but not the 2nd
Amendment), "Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire" is a reasoned counter
to Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" and, as such, a constructive
addition to the current national firearms debate.
The almost-complete absence of dissenting voices will likely limit its
audience to gun-toting members of the choir, though anyone with an
interest in the subject would be well-served by hearing its arguments.
Director Kris Koenig's inspired choice of rap star Ice-T as narrator
signals the film's relative finesse in addressing gun owner stereotypes
as a way of arguing against most but not all firearm restrictions.
We hear from gun owners of all stripes women, minorities, old-timers,
paraplegics, even an LGBT gun group called the Pink Pistols making the
movie's fundamental assertion that self-protection is a right and, in
times when the "thin veneer of civilization" breaks down, a necessity, a
defense for the defenseless.
There's much talk about constitutional rights, no mention of
high-capacity magazines or the effectiveness of gun laws in other
nations. For the filmmakers, it's all about the 2nd Amendment, which, to
their thinking, demands a responsibility for one's own well-being, the
"most sacred civil right."
Reader comments:
http://discussions.latimes.com/20/lanews...0130620/10
###
the United States preparing for combat with the U.S. government. They
are usually heavily armed, blinded by an intractable hatred, often
motivated by religious zeal. Theyre not jihadists. They are white,
right-wing Americans, nearly all with an obsessive attachment to guns,
who may represent a greater danger to the lives of American civilians
than international terrorists.
Editorial
Peril from 'patriots'
Los Angeles Times
The U.S. needs to keep a close watch on the growing threat of home-grown
extremist groups
March 8, 2013
Read more:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/edit...4361.story
-------
Movie Review: Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire
By Nick Leghorn *
Contributor
The Truth About Guns
June 6, 2013
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/06...nder-fire/
Kris Koenigs Kickstarter funded documentary, Assaulted: Civil Rights
Under Fire, started life as a film about the state of gun control in
California. But thanks to the post-Newtown gun control fervor on a
national level, the project blossomed to encompass the entire debate and
not just the trainwreck that is California. The film is coming out on
June 20th with Ice-T as the narrator, but they gave us an advance copy
to review. So, will those of us who invested be getting our moneys
worth of 2A-defending goodness? . . .
The entire time I was watching this film, I kept asking myself would my
mother watch this? As many of you know, my mom is a staunch gun control
advocate and firmly under the spell of the MAIG/Brady/HuffPo/CSGV
anti-gun axis. And the reason I was using her as a litmus test was that
shes pretty much the poster child for the kind of low-information voter
who might be swayed by the right argument hopefully at least some of
the audience who will see the movie. But honestly, I just dont see that
happening.
The documentary is smoothly polished, well thought out and it cogently
presents the argument that gun rights are a fundamental civil right. The
producers provide support in both historical and legal terms. They even
went so far as to include a re-enactment of the Battle of Athens,
courtesy of Bagwell Entertainment, to bring the story to life.
The addition of Ice-T as a narrator was a nice touch, keeping the movie
as far away from the old fat white guy stereotype as possible. And
throughout the film, Kris obviously opted for as many non-OFWG
representatives as possible to speak about guns, which is fantastic for
our image. But in this case, Ice-T may not have been the best choice.
Morgan Freeman he is not, and his speaking style becomes distracting at
times.
As for content, for someone who believes in gun rights, this film was a
confirmation of all of your beliefs. It presented all of the arguments
that I found personally persuasive when I was formulating my own
position on firearms, and does it in a way thats approachable and logical.
But that I think might be the documentarys downfall: its heavily
weighted toward the pro-2A side. Even the title of the film, Civil
Rights Under Fire, portrays gun control as an assault on Americans
fundamental civil rights. And while I agree that it is, thats probably
not a title that will be packing the theaters with many Moms Demand
Action members.
Gun control advocates will be looking for a balanced examination,
something closer to the investigation of the AR-15 that CNBC released
recently. A vehicle in which the Brady Campaign and MAIG will be allowed
their time on the soapbox to preach their message of civilian
disarmament, and be treated as valid opinions. But the only time that
happens is in one segment where a Brady Campaign spokesman discusses the
features that make a firearm an assault weapon. And after every
feature Kris immediately follows it up with a swift and succinct
rebuttal from gun guys pointing out how idiotic the Bradys opinion is.
Dont get me wrong, I enjoyed it almost as much as watching Carolyn
McCarthy talking about the shoulder thing that goes up. But for a gun
control advocate, its like watching someone kick your puppy.
Yes, documentaries are supposed to advance an idea or agenda based on
evidence provided, and Kris film does that beautifully. But for that
same reason, I can very easily see the gun control advocates labeling
this as propaganda and advising their true believers that anyone who
even watches it is a whackjob. Its a film that presents facts, history
and logic in a debate where emotion has swayed so many people into
abandoning their right to self defense, and while it tries to pluck
those same emotional strings it falls short in that sense. Emotion based
voters, like my mom, will not be swayed.
This film is fantastic for those who love their firearms-related civil
rights. It will strengthen the resolve of gun owners to fight for their
rights, and it might even get some people off the fence who were
previously ambivalent to the cause. But I dont see this making any
progress among those who have long been drinking the civilian
disarmament Kool-Aid.
MPAA rating: PG-13 for violent disturbing images and brief strong language
Running time: 1 hour, 19 minutes
Kris Koenig has announced the theaters that will be showing his new
documentary, Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire on the June 20-23rd
opening weekend. Be there or be square . . .
Playing: At AMC Burbank Town Center (CA)
AMC Orange Orange County
AMC Stony Brook 17 New York
AMC Barrett 24 Atlanta
AMC Grapevine 30 Dallas
AMC First Colony 24 Houston
AMC Arizona Center 24 Phoenix
AMC South Barrington Chicago
AMC Hoffman Center 22 Washington, DC
AMC Sunset Place 24 Miami
AMC Westminster Promenade 24 Denver
AMC Alderwood 16 Seattle
AMC Barton Creek 14 Austin
AMC Deer Valley 16 SF Bay Area
Phoenix Dos Lagos Corona, CA
Carousel Greensboro
Trailer: "Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire" Documentary on Gun Rights
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/06...nder-fire/
* Nick Leghorn is a gun nerd living and working in San Antonio, Texas.
In his free time, he's a competition shooter (USPSA, 3-gun and NRA High
Power), EMT-B and enjoys mixing statistics and science with firearms.
Now on sale: Getting Started with Firearms by yours truly!
---------
'Assaulted' documentary advocates for gun rights
By Glenn Whipp
glenn.whipp@latimes.com
Film critic
Los Angeles Times
June 19, 2013
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/mov...4817.story
For a gun-rights advocacy documentary that opens with a fluttering
American flag and a twangy country vocalist singing "got a gun to keep
us strong / that's what our country was founded on" (the next verse
violates the Old Testament's Fourth Commandment ... but not the 2nd
Amendment), "Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire" is a reasoned counter
to Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" and, as such, a constructive
addition to the current national firearms debate.
The almost-complete absence of dissenting voices will likely limit its
audience to gun-toting members of the choir, though anyone with an
interest in the subject would be well-served by hearing its arguments.
Director Kris Koenig's inspired choice of rap star Ice-T as narrator
signals the film's relative finesse in addressing gun owner stereotypes
as a way of arguing against most but not all firearm restrictions.
We hear from gun owners of all stripes women, minorities, old-timers,
paraplegics, even an LGBT gun group called the Pink Pistols making the
movie's fundamental assertion that self-protection is a right and, in
times when the "thin veneer of civilization" breaks down, a necessity, a
defense for the defenseless.
There's much talk about constitutional rights, no mention of
high-capacity magazines or the effectiveness of gun laws in other
nations. For the filmmakers, it's all about the 2nd Amendment, which, to
their thinking, demands a responsibility for one's own well-being, the
"most sacred civil right."
Reader comments:
http://discussions.latimes.com/20/lanews...0130620/10
###