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Originally posted by ericg75:
I didn't think the "Blame the NRA" argument was all that compelling. Canada's gun laws are comparable to the US and they don't have anywhere near the gun related deaths we do. I thought Moore's best argument was the whole "culture of fear" argument -- what spawns violence in the first place.

I think it's a bit disingenuous to say that Bowling for Columbine prominently features a "Blame the NRA" argument. To be honest, I actually didn't take that away from the film at all. The observation that the NRA has done some dick-ish things is certainly present (and seems to me ratherobvious, although it's also a bit disingenuous on Moore's part to subtly link the NRA to the KKK), and he certainly harps a bit on Heston's grandstanding, but I don't think he really ever comes close to blaming them. My feelings on the movie are somewhat mixed (as they tend to be for most Michael Moore projects, although I can't deny that our politics are probably similar). But one of the things that gets glossed over, especially by conservative reviewers trying to smear Moore, is that he goes out of the way to mention that he's a card-carrying lifetime member of the NRA.

I do agree with you, however, that the 'culture of fear' argument is quite compelling, on the whole.