Ensuing the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting of 2012, Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association stood up at a press conference—breaking the typical silence of the NRA after school shootings—to say this: “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” It was and is the mantra to which far-right proponents of near-limitless gun rights hold fast, a kind of religious creed they claim to have inherited from the Founding Fathers.
Judd Ehrlich’s The Price of Freedom debunks a lot of mythology surrounding the NRA’s ideology, but more specifically serves to contextualize the values that supposedly come straight from the U.S. Constitution. The reality, according to Senator Chris Murphy, is that “Our Founding Fathers loved gun control.” As it turns out, the NRA itself wasn’t always so enthusiastic about gun rights either.
Historians, professors, politicians, and activists such as Lucy McBath, Peter Ambler, Cassandra Crifasi, and Yohuru Williams authoritatively unpack the NRA’s history as an organization focused mainly on sports and hunting. They delve into the association’s development, its tighter embrace of gun rights following equal rights protests, its takeover by convicted murderer Harlon Carter, and its championship by silver-tongued lawyer Wayne LaPierre. Employing fluent and rational argumentation, these voices indict the organization with a multifaceted critique.
The Price of Freedom offers a nuanced appraisal of the NRA’s ethos and the effects of gun regulations. Utilizing a wide range of statistics to show the adverse effects of repealing gun laws and the racial disparity when it comes to gun violence victims, the documentary paints a bleak picture of the country. It leaves viewers with hope, however. Former President Bill Clinton proposes that the nation may finally have a chance at keeping gun regulation laws passed: “I couldn’t do it in my time,” he says–but today’s youth are getting things done.
A fascinating, fleshed-out political history that ends with an inspiring call to action by youthful activists, The Price of Freedom is an enlightening educational documentary to purchase for library shelves on political issues. Highly Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (A. Ham)