A new documentary, called “Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA” is one of a flood of films about gun violence being released this year, including four alone at the Sundance Film Festival.
But this one is unusual for a couple of reasons. First, it premiered not in Los Angeles or New York, but in Washington, D.C. this week. And then instead of making the rounds of movie theaters, it’ll be screened in community showings across the country as well as in clips on platforms like YouTube.
The director of the movie is Robert Greenwald. He’s had a long career, making documentaries about issues from military drones to the Koch brothers. He says there is no more important social issue in the U.S. right now then gun violence.
“If you look at tobacco, who would have thought we would see such an enormous change in the way people respond to tobacco?,” Greenwald says. “The tobacco industry fought safeguards the exactly the same way the gun industry does. Or the automobile industry. They said ‘oh no, cars don’t hurt people, bad drivers do. Therefore we don’t need seat belts, we don’t need driving restrictions and speed limits.’ All of those changes have happened, and I am certain that (stricter gun laws) will happen too. But it’s only going to happen if every one of us stops being an observer and gets involved.”
KCRW’s Chery Glaser spoke to Greenwald about why he decided to take on gun violence and the NRA and why now: