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'Bowling For Columbine' Still Has Some Frightening Lessons For Our Country

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Marilyn Manson

In 2002, Michael Moore released "Bowling for Columbine," a documentary in which he tried to wrap his head around why there's so much gun violence in the U.S. compared to Canada and many countries in Europe.

Moore focused on the aftermath of the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., which left a dozen students dead.

After the massacre, much of the public blamed video games and even the edgy rocker Marilyn Manson for the tragedy.

If the public is going to blame rock music or video games for the Columbine massacre, Moore argued, it might as well blame bowling – the last thing teen gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold did before they shot up their school.

Moore interviewed victims of Columbine, now-deceased NRA spokesman Charleton Heston, and even Canadians to ferret out the roots of gun violence in America.

There was no simple answer. But, after visiting our neighbors to the north, Moore seemed fixated on America's preoccupation with fear.

Canadians didn't feel the need to lock their doors at night, and the local evening news was pretty staid compared to more sensationalist programs in the U.S..

"Night after night, the Canadians weren't being pumped with fear," he said.

That culture still seems to be alive today, a decade later, in an America that Moore said is "living and breathing in fear."

Nancy Lanza, the mother of the 20-year-old who opened fire at an elementary school Friday, had several registered guns, including the ones that were used in the massacre, the Washington Post reported Friday.

Her ex-sister in law, Marsha Lanza, reportedly said Nancy wanted the guns for protection and had "prepared for the worst."

SEE ALSO: Justice Scalia Has Hinted That Powerful Assault Weapons May Be Banned >

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