Director Stephanie Soechtig: 'Gun owners are being duped by the NRA'

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Director Stephanie Soechtig: 'Gun owners are being duped by the NRA'

Director of new documentary about gun violence in America talks
about ways the National Rifle Association ‘dupes’ its members and
profits off politics

Lois Beckett
Sunday 15 May 2016 21.50 BST

News anchor Katie Couric and director Stephanie Soechtig have collaborated on two previous documentaries: Tapped, which looked at the environmental consequences of the bottled water industry, and Fed Up, which examined the role of sugar in America’s obesity epidemic.

Under the Gun, their new documentary on gun violence in America, premieres on Epix tonight at 8pm. The film, a Sundance favorite, provides an in-depth look at the ways gun control advocates have tried to counteract the power of the National Rifle Association.

Soechtig talked to the Guardian about how she approached the polarizing issue of guns in America – and what change she would like to see. (The interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

How did you decide to do a film tackling the issue of guns in America?

In 2014, Katie was like, I want to talk to you about this idea that I had. The Isla Vista Shooting happened on May 22. She called me and said, I’ve been covering this issue for 30 years and the situation seems to be getting worse. Could we give this the same exploration of Fed Up and really unpack this issue in this holistic and comprehensive way?’

My first impression was, really, don’t we know everything about this issue? When I started digging in, there was so much that I didn’t know.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/15/gun-control-nra-stephanie-soechtig-under-the-gun

[CompanyFirstSergeant]

1. Yes, I am a 'Life Member' of the NRA.

And I have no idea what that means, except that at one time I sent them money...

and they sent me a wallet card.

Other than that, they have absolutely no influence in any of my decisions whatsoever.

I do not own a firearm because of them. I do not carry a firearm (occasionally, not that often actually) because of them.

I don't even know how much influence they did or did not have on several of the pro-carry decisions of late.

Why did I become a member?

Because at one time they were very active in range safety and law enforcement/military instruction. What they do today, I'm not really all that sure.

[doc03]

4. You don't get their magazine? You don't get somethiing in the mail nearly every week asking

you to donate to the NRA to keep Hillary Clinton from taking your guns? You don't get those e-mails about
the government buying up billions of rounds of handgun ammo causing a shortage for civilians? You don't read all those editorials by Wayne LaPeirre telling you about Obama and Hillary taking your guns away?

[CompanyFirstSergeant]

5. That's what....

...the recycle bin is for.

[Kang Colby]

6. No offense, but can you cite some NRA articles

that contain the type of rhetoric you claim?

Case in point: https://www.nraila.org/articles/20120817/federal-law-enforcement-agencies-buy-ammunition

The NRA outright called bs on Internet conspiracy theories about government ammo purchases in the link below. The NRA has even interviewed experts and industry insiders about why ammo was MIA a few years ago. Answer: demand.

NRA did raise quite a ruckus about the AWB proposals in 2012-2013...but that is indeed a gun ban....hence the name Assault Weapons Ban.

[beevul]

2. I love these.

The first thing I learned that – you’ve got to be kidding me – is that 40% of guns in this country are bought without a background check.

Someone is drinking 90s koolaid.

That the ATF doesn’t have computerized records.

"I'm shocked that guns don't have to be registered".

That the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was banned from researching this as a public health issue.

Advocacy only, not research, but its nice to see the big lie in action.

Chicago has a mass shooting every other week.

Somebody didn't read the whole thing before posting, I guess. Or is it just an nra talking point?

I think a lot of gun owners join the NRA because they get deals, they get discounts.

And then she lies about a gun group:

To me, the Virginia Citizens Defense League represents that very small fringe of gun owners that don’t support really any gun safety measures.

This 'piece' linked to in the OP, is the latest regurgitation of all the usual talking points.

[Eleanors38]

7. "...been covering this issue for thirty years???" And all this self-confessed ignorance?

Musta been covering the issue by posting gun-control news releases. Or with a wet blanket. Sheesh.

[gejohnston]

3. although it might seem to be getting worse,

it really isn't.
Isla Vista shootings, yet nothing about the other three murder victims who were stabbed. BTW, it isn't a mass shooting. It really doesn't meet the FBI definition of mass murder. If you change the number to three from four, it would be a mass stabbing.

We spoke to John Lott, he will be featured in a digital companion that we have. We did a great piece on him. He’s the originator of the idea that more guns equal less crime. His research has been criticized and largely discredited, and when we went to include it in the film, it felt like unnecessary real estate to put in the film, because we know his research has been debunked many times. We kept going back to the idea that we wanted to reserve the real estate in the film for the responsible gun owners.

What they forgot to mention that out of the three competing hypotheses among criminology studies on the subject, Lott's view is in the minority. What they forgot to mention is that the inverse, more guns equals more crime, is even smaller. The "makes no difference either way" has a very large plurality. Discredited by whom?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lott#Concealed_weapons_and_crime_rate
He has some heavy hitters on his side on the subject.
an interesting tid bit, basically that Lott and his critics have problems with their methodology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lott#Use_of_econometrics_as_proof_of_causation

One claim that she makes is demonstrably false, is that there is an increase in mass shootings. There hasn't been.
I also seriously doubt the "silent majority" of gun owners. If they existed, they would be on blogs and You Tube. If they are indeed there, what are they gaining by being silent? Granted there are some rich Fudds who don't think the unwashed masses should have them, or by throwing AR owners under the bus, their Holland and Hollands will be safe, until they are called "sniper rifles" My real question is how did she come to this conclusion of this silent majority? How many pro gun or gun owners did she talk to? How about pro gun groups? The article already says she hung out with only one side of the issue.

If VDL is just a "fringe" what are the gun prohibition groups she has been hanging around with? They have a fewer members and are astro turf. At least VDL and other state organizations are grassroots.

My favorite comment

Bill Inaz 3h ago

4
5
"I felt that gun owners are being duped, that they’ve been sold a bill of goods by the NRA, as well. "

This belief is the cause of the confusion and dissonance felt by those that impotently shake their fist at the sky at that which they don't understand.

Let's do the math. There are now well over 80,000,000 owners of personal firearms in America. They are in possession of now well over 300,000,000 firearms. The NRA has what...maybe...5M members?

That means there are 75+ Million gun-owners that have nothing to do with the NRA. These people span all political affiliations, as well as all racial, social and gender demographics. They are hardly all 'wascally-wepubwiccans". There are in fact 10's of millions of Democrat gun owners a number that, in and of itself, dwarfs NRA membership numbers.

Yes the NRA has influence but these 76,000,000 + non-NRA gun owners are also known to their legislators because they communicate, a lot, and more importantly they do the one thing the NRA does not do...they actually vote.

Be careful employing the NRA as bogeyman meme. It's likely the reason you end up impotently shaking your fist at the sky and wondering why no one is listening to you. The trust of those that vote has not been gained by those that flit around like the writer here chiding them for their 'reactionary' and throwback views. People don't like that.