In 1981 Olivia Newton-John released the song "Let's Get Physical." So I say, "Let's Get Political," because that's what this movie is. It was almost serendipitous that I'd watch this movie a few days after the pro gun rally in Virginia. It was a peaceful rally by all accounts even if the protesters looked scary as hell. It wasn't enough to just carry a weapon, they had to wear fatigues, masks, sunglasses and other tactical gear. They were more heavily armed than the police!
These were the people Christopher Wells (Michael Ontkean) was preaching to when he advocated for all citizens being able to carry a weapon. District Attorney Christopher Wells' wife and daughter were shot and killed by a couple of robbers. They weren't the only ones killed, the two robbers shot up the entire restaurant, which is weird for an armed robbery but nevermind. It was already established that Chris was a liberal turned conservative presumably because he'd gotten older and lived long enough to become???? Realistic? Cynical? You decide. With the death of his wife and daughter he became a hard core second amendmenter. Suddenly, carrying a gun was a panacea for all of the problems in America.
He took that passion and turned it into a movement. That movement got the issue on the ballot as Prop G (G for gun get it) and overwhelmingly the people of St. Lawrence USA voted to allow open and concealed carry for all adults eighteen and older with no criminal record and no history of mental illness. As the saying goes: "The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."
I have several guns myself though I'm not beholden to them. I mean, I paid good money for them so I wouldn't be willing to just give them up, but I'm not a fanatic about them. As a gun owner I still would've voted against Prop G.
Firstly, Chris, the main proselytizer for the proposition, sounded like an angry victim every time he spoke on behalf of Prop G. Sure, that fires people up, but I don't know any good decisions that are made in anger.
Secondly, the Prop G rallies were a majority white men. To me, an auditorium full of angry white men screaming for guns scares the crap outta me. Somehow, even with full legal rights to carry, I fear I'd find myself on the wrong end of someone else's gun who didn't think I should be carrying a gun.
Throughout the movie Chris was this hate filled man full of bromides and fortune cookie lines. He even spit out, "Guns don't start revolutions, they finish them." I literally laughed out loud, like where did you get that one? Dude was a walking meme. They actually put that line on the "Yes for Prop G" posters that looked oddly similar to Nazi paraphanelia with the black gun sillouhette against the red background.
This movie was bad, even if it had some solid arguments for both sides. It was a T.V. movie which meant T.V. movie quality. In 1986 that meant low grade picture and sound. I think "Right of the People" tried to do the topic justice. They showed the positives and the negatives, even if they were a bit hyperbolized. As was mentioned in the movie, the second amendment has been argued over for 200 years, and it will probably be argued over for 200 more.
These were the people Christopher Wells (Michael Ontkean) was preaching to when he advocated for all citizens being able to carry a weapon. District Attorney Christopher Wells' wife and daughter were shot and killed by a couple of robbers. They weren't the only ones killed, the two robbers shot up the entire restaurant, which is weird for an armed robbery but nevermind. It was already established that Chris was a liberal turned conservative presumably because he'd gotten older and lived long enough to become???? Realistic? Cynical? You decide. With the death of his wife and daughter he became a hard core second amendmenter. Suddenly, carrying a gun was a panacea for all of the problems in America.
He took that passion and turned it into a movement. That movement got the issue on the ballot as Prop G (G for gun get it) and overwhelmingly the people of St. Lawrence USA voted to allow open and concealed carry for all adults eighteen and older with no criminal record and no history of mental illness. As the saying goes: "The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."
I have several guns myself though I'm not beholden to them. I mean, I paid good money for them so I wouldn't be willing to just give them up, but I'm not a fanatic about them. As a gun owner I still would've voted against Prop G.
Firstly, Chris, the main proselytizer for the proposition, sounded like an angry victim every time he spoke on behalf of Prop G. Sure, that fires people up, but I don't know any good decisions that are made in anger.
Secondly, the Prop G rallies were a majority white men. To me, an auditorium full of angry white men screaming for guns scares the crap outta me. Somehow, even with full legal rights to carry, I fear I'd find myself on the wrong end of someone else's gun who didn't think I should be carrying a gun.
Throughout the movie Chris was this hate filled man full of bromides and fortune cookie lines. He even spit out, "Guns don't start revolutions, they finish them." I literally laughed out loud, like where did you get that one? Dude was a walking meme. They actually put that line on the "Yes for Prop G" posters that looked oddly similar to Nazi paraphanelia with the black gun sillouhette against the red background.
This movie was bad, even if it had some solid arguments for both sides. It was a T.V. movie which meant T.V. movie quality. In 1986 that meant low grade picture and sound. I think "Right of the People" tried to do the topic justice. They showed the positives and the negatives, even if they were a bit hyperbolized. As was mentioned in the movie, the second amendment has been argued over for 200 years, and it will probably be argued over for 200 more.
