This happen . What can be done . Why wasnt something done before the last one . This debate in our country is highly charged. For many the solutions seem out of reach at this point. At the shooting in 1999 that left 12 students and a teacher dead, Michael Moore made the Academy Award winning film bowling or columbine about americas attachment to firearms and the seemingly relentless march of gun violence in our country. Tonight wherever you come down on this gun debate, you may find this films graphic images disturbances. But this is a very special presentation of Michael Moores film. It is not produced by msnbc. As part of this special presentation michael joins me before and after this film and hes here right now. Michael moore, thank you for doing this. Thank you very much for having me on tonight and for letting me share my film with the american public. Why do you see this as relevant now . And what people are about to see in just a moment or two, why did you choose to present some of the violence and the images the way you did . This is a very, very difficult issue to grapple with. There are over 300 million guns in peoples homes in this country. No other nation on earth has the level of gun violence we have. I have wanted to ask the question why. Why us . Were good people. This is a good country. Why do we kill so many of our own . Why do we have such a high suicide rate . Why . Why . You know, the day the colshooti happened my crew and i decided we have to do something about this. We have to make a documentary about this. And we have to make sure there is not another i remember saying this that day, that there is never another School Shooting. Sadly, here we are some 17 years later and there was more than one columbincolumbine. A mass shooting is defined as four people are shot in a shooting. There is an average now of one a day of the School Shootings, the chumps, synagogues, shopping malls. It seems like every month there is one of those. Sometimes more than once a month. And this film is one many activists and many people affected by this issue have urged policymakers and others to watch. Yes. Was that part of what you set out to do . Yes. And did you want to shock people . No. Its shocking enough when your child comes home at seven years old and said that he or she participated in an active Shooter Drill in school where they had to either run for their lives or hide and have the fear in them at seven years old that they could die in the next ten seconds. Thats the common denominator with all americans, regardless of what your politics are. And i dont think any of us want to live in that society. We want to change that society. So, yes, i made this in the hopes we change it. You and mentioned so eed some o graphic or shocking images people will see in the film. I put them in there because i think it is important not to look away. We need to face this down as americans. Yes, it is hard to watch. But i remember as a child when the vietnam war was going on watching nbc news and a vietnamese captain or kernel pulls a prisoner of war into the street and on nbc puts a gun to his head and blows it, literally his brains come out the other side. And im a child watching this. Now, in the war since vietnam they dont show that on the evening news. But ill tell you this. Seeing that, seeing that little girl in vietnam with the napalm burning the skin off her body, these images are powerful and they played a role in ending that war. You are talking about the link between the story telling and what we do about it as a society. Yes. Michael, what were going to do is the screening. Youre going to stick around and we will talk on the policy and politics afterwards. We turn to a special screening of bowling for columbine. Michael moore and i will return at the end of the film. The National Rifle association has produced a film which you are sure to find of great interest. Lets look at it. It was the morning of april 20th, 1999, and it was pretty much like any other morning in america. The farmer did his chores. The milkman made his deliveries. The president bombed another country whose name we couldnt pronounce. Out in north dakota, Kerry Mcwilliams went out on his morning walk. Back in michigan miss hughes welcomed her students for another day of school. In choleolorado two boys went bowling at 6 00 in the morning. Yes, it was a typical day in the United States of america. Can i help you . Yeah. Im here to open up an account. Okay. What type of account would you i want the account where i can get the free gun. Okay. I had spotted an ad in the local michigan paper that said if you opened an account at North Country bank the bank would give you a gun. You do a cd, and well give you a gun. We have a whole brochure here you can look at. Once we do the back ground check and everything, its yours to go. Right, right. All right. Well, thats the account i would like to open. We have a vault which we keep at least 500 firearms. 500 of these in your vault . Yes. We have to do a background check, which we are a licensed firearm dealer. You are . What do i put for race, white or caucasian . Caucasian. I knew you were going to make me spell the caucasian. Is that right . Yes. I dont think thats the part theyre going to be worried about. Have you ever been adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution. What does that mean have i ever been adjudicated mentally defective. It would be something involved with a crime. With a crime, okay. So if im normally mentally defective. Exactly. Thank you. Wow. Its a straight shooter, let me tell you. Sweet. Well, here is my first question. Do you think its a little dangerous hanging out with guns in a bank . Gung ho each sound makes lots of battle sounds. Just press the trigger and listen. This sounds like a gun battle over there. Is it real . Looks like real. And it sounds like real. Right. The sound of power, military and western rifles by marx. This was my first gun. I couldnt wait to go outside and shoot up the neighborhood. Those were the days. I was born in michigan and i wish and wish again that i was back in the town where i was born. By the time i was a teenager, i was such a good shot, i won the National Rifle associations marksman award. You see, i grew up in michigan, a gun lovers paradise. And so did this man, the oscar winning actor and president of the National Rifle association, mr. Charleston heston. We come from a state where everyone loves to go hunting. Even the dogs. There were actually two of the hunters at the camp. They fought they would get a few pictures of the dog pressed up as a hunter. And one of the guys had the idea that why dont we sling a rifle on the dogs back to make the pictures a little more interesting. The victim was kneeling down in front of the dog when the weapon slipped. One round went through the victims chin, the right part of his chin and came out through the back of his calf. Was the dog held at all for my period of time by the president. No, it wasnt. In michigan, the law basically states that people can commit crimes, that animals arent some form of, you know, whatever that could commit a crime. An animal cannot commit a crime or be charged with a crime in this state . Exactly. Is it possible the dog knew what it was doing. That i dont know. I really wouldnt be able to tell you that. Oh, the dog was cute dressed up as a hunter. There is no doubt about it. It was a funny picture. You know, to look at, it was kind of neat. Yep. This was the kind of place i was from. A box of 270s. There you go. Perfect. Sorry about that. Sorry. All right. You have been discharged. You dont need no gun control. You know what you need . We need some bullet control. We need to control the bullets. Thats right. I think all bullets should cost 5,000. 5,000 for a bullet. You know why . Because if a bullet costs 5,000 there would be no more innocent bystanders. Every time somebody get shot, theyre like, damn, he must have did something. They put 55,000 worth of bullets in his ass. People better think before they kill somebody if a bullet cost 5,000. Man, i would blow your [ bleep ] head off if i could afford it. Im going to get me another job. Im going to start saving some money, and you a dead man. You better hope i cant get no bullets on layaway. Not far from where Charleston Heston and i grew up is a Training Ground for the michigan militia. Why do you use the bowling pins. From a selfdefense standpoint, it is a small target. It also represents the vitals on a human being should you ever have to shoot at one. The michigan militia became known around the world when on april 19th, 1995 two guys living in michigan who had attended militia meetings blew up the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. The michigan militia wanted everyone to know that they were nothing like mcvay and nichols. This is an american tradition. It is an american responsible to be armed. If youre not armed, youre not responsible. Who is going to defend your kids . The cops . The federal government . No, none of them. It is your job to defend you and yours. If you dont do it, you are in dereliction of duty as an american, period. Were just here to let them know that, hey, were here to help. Were here to help and defend the people of this country. Im sure you guys are the kind of people people would like to have as their neighbor. Pretty much. Were all normal people. We all have regular jobs and profession. Im a draftsman. How about you . Unemployed right now. Frank, what do you do for a living . I work for a heat treating company. I drive a truck for them. How about you . Im a real estate negotiator. Real estate negotiator. White collar all the way. You dont bring that with you, though, do you, when you are negotiating the real estate . No. What do you have in your home . Smith and weston. 9 millimeter . 12 gauge. I have a 16. At home . Yeah. Yep. At the ready. I dont agree with that because you have to worry about where your rounds are going. I know where theyre going to go when i aim and shoot. Whose idea was the calendar . Probably would be kristin. A picture is worth a thousand words. A, it demonstrates a loyal sophistication. You wouldnt expect that out of militia. B, were people, too. Right. We had a lot of fun with it. It was a fundraiser and it showed that were not so serious, you know. Were not these conspiracy nuts that wouldnt want our pictures to get out. It was a fun fundraiser, you know. I have had guns pretty much since i was old enough to have them. Yeah. And i learned how to use them. Youre silly. Because because being a female, number one, i felt it was important to be able to protect myself by the best means possible. And one of those means is having a gun. When a criminal breaks into your house, who is the first person you are going to call . Most people will call the police because they have guns. Cut out the middleman. Take care of your own family yourself. If youre not going to protect your family, who is . Were not racist. Were not extremists. Were not fundamentalists or terrorists or militants or other such nonsense. Were citizens. Were just concerned citizens. We have a desire to fill our duties as americans. And armed citizenry is part of that. Hy im partnering with cigna to remind you to go in for your annual checkup, and be open with your doctor about anything you feel physically and emotionally. But now cigna has a plan that can help everyone see stress differently. Just find a period of time to unwind. A location to destress. An activity to enjoy. Or the name of someone to talk to. To create a plan that works for you, visit cigna. Com mystressplan. Cigna. Together, all the way. Vicolon cancer screeningplan. For people 50 and older at average risk. Honey, have you seen my glasses . Ive always had a knack for finding things. Colon cancer,to be exact. And i find it noninvasively. No need for time off or special prep. It all starts here. You collect your sample, and cologuard uses the dna in your stool to find 92 of colon cancers. You can always count on me to know where to look. Oh, i found them i can do this test now ask your doctor if cologuard is right for you. Covered by medicare and most major insurers to earn j. D. Power chevdependability awards. Across cars. Trucks. And suvs. Four years in a row. Since more than 32,000 real people. Just like me. And me. And me. Took the survey that decided these awards. It was only right that you hear the good news from real people. Like us. Im daniel. Im casey. Im julio. Only chevy has earned j. D. Power dependability awards across cars, trucks and suvs. Four years in a row. To the wait did frowe just winners. Prouders everyone uses their phone differently. Thats why Xfinity Mobile lets you design your own data. Now you can share it between lines. Mix with unlimited, and switch it up at anytime so you only pay for what you need. Its a different kind of Wireless Network designed to save you money. Save up to 400 a year on your wireless bill. Plus get 250 back when you buy an eligible phone. Call, click, or visit a store today. The Tech Industry is supposed in invention and progress. But only 11 of its executives are women, and the quit rate is twice as high for them. Heres a hack make sure theres bandwidth for everyone. The more you know. What do you grow here . Right now there is tofu beans there, soybeans. Youre a tofu farmer. Yeah, food farmer. I grow food for people to eat, you know. No herbicides, no pesticides on that stuff. Right. All natural. Right. Yeah, better. Certified organic. Healthier. Yeah, basically. This is james nickels, the brother of terry nichols. James graduated from high school the same here i did in the district next to mine. On this farm in michigan mcvay and the nichols made practice bombs. U. S. Attorneys linked the nichols brother of michigan with Timothy Mcvay. Terry was convicted and receive add life sentence. Timothy mcvay was executed. But the feds didnt have the goods on james, so the charges were dropped. Im just glad im just glad to be out and free so i can get on with my life. Did Timothy Mcvay ever stay here . Yes. Yes. He stayed here several times. The longest period about three months or so. He was a nice guy. Decent guy . Oh, yeah. So they didnt find anything on this farm . As to what . Bomb making . Yeah. I had dynamite fuse, black powder, sure. Diesel fuel, fertilizer, but that is normal farm stuff. That was no way connected in any way to the Oklahoma City bombing or bomb making. Them people, law enforcement, if you want to call them that, were here and they were shaking in their shoes. They were physically shaking, scared to death. Of . Because they thought this was going to be another waco, because certain people, namely my exwife and other people, said im a radical. Im a wild man. I got a gun under every arm, down every leg in every shoe, every corner of the house. You say anything to me, ill shoot you. If the people find out how they have been ripped off and enslaved in this country by the government, by the powers to be, they will revolt with anger. Merciless anger. When a government turns to radical, it is your duty to overthrow it. Well, why not use ghandis way . Im not familiar with that. He didnt have any guns and he beat the british empire. Our school has a bad habit of raising se ining psychos. They live in michigan across the bay from the nichols farm. Eric harris who would later commit the massacre spent part of his childhood here. His dad flew planes during the gulf war. 20 of all the bombs dropped in that war were from planes that took off from here. I asked brent if he remembered anything about eric. I never knew him, but i knew of him. About the same age as you. Yeah. Like a friend of mine he knows him. He was in class with him. Hes lived up here all my life. I went to school with him and it shocked me to hear it on the news, thats peshlly a kid from here would be doing that. I didnt last too long in this high school up here. I got kicked out. I got expelled. Why was that . I had a runin with a kid one time and i pulled a weapon on him, a gun. What kind . A. 9 millimeter. So they kicked you out of school . Yeah. They kicked me out for 165 days, whatever a School Full Year is. As a matter of fact, thats what my plans was, to move out to colorado. Colorado . Because i have family out there. As a matter of fact, one of my uncles is a janitor for columbi columbine. Why was your name you mean they did a list of of the suspects. Of students who potentially would call in a bomb threat after columbine . Yes. I was like second or third on the list. Why is that . Because the whole fact is, like i said, this town really gets people down. Why did they single you out . Because i was a troubled kid. And, you know you were trouble in school . Oh, yeah. But why did they put you on their list as number two of the students that could be a threat . Come on. There must be a reason. Well, okay. The thing is is i have a thing thats called the anarchist code book. It shows you how to make bombs. If anything went wrong, they would come to me first and i dont need that. Just because you owned a copy of the book. You havent made a bomb yourself. Oh, ive made them. It was nothing big. It wasnt even as big as a pipe bomb. Some make it a tennis ball bomb or Something Like that. Out of the anarchist code book, the latest thing i built i think would have to be i think i made a five gallon drum of nepalm. Kids knew that you were doing this . Yeah. So you were number two on the list . Yeah. Who was number one . I dont know. They never told me that name which kind of made me mad. Because you didnt make it to number one. I know its kind of silly but, you know, i guess it had been a kind of ego thing knowing i was number one at something here even if it was a bomb threat list. Do you believe it was right to blow up the building in Oklahoma City . Im not saying no. Thats a good question. Why was that building blowed up and who blew it up . If someone did it, it would be wrong . Yes. It is wrong to take the lives of those people . Yeah. I use the pen because the pen is mightier than the sword, which you always must keep a sword handy for when the pen fails. I sleep with a 44 magnum under my pillow. Come on. Thats what everyone says. Is that true . Its true. If we were to go in the the whole world knows that. If we were to go look at your pillow right now, will you show us right now . He took me into his