“Assaulted” Documentary May Show the Way for Future Pro-Gun Efforts

There’s no shortage of pro-gun control propaganda being pushed by the media these days. Just flip on any news channel from NBC to CBS to CNN (where last night one of the presenters said “after the break we will discuss how to win the War on Guns”) and you’ll see a slow and steady march towards firearms newthink. One project, a Kickstarter-funded documentary called “Assaulted,” is trying to provide some balance to that propaganda by introducing the stinging bitch-slap of history, showing how gun control really got to the place it is today. The producers are raising funds to finish the project in time to still be relevant to the national debate that’s raging. And while that may be a worthy effort in and of itself, it might be the way of the future for gun rights advocacy as well . . .

The project is already in the can, they’re just looking for some cash to finish it on time. What’s been incredible to watch is that 24 hours ago they were still $10,000 away from their goal, but every hour seems to bring them closer. When I wrote this around midnight, they had already halved the distance. I get the impression that a mention by the rather large Facebook page for the Firearms Policy Coalition hasn’t hurt their numbers any.

While this is a single project, the fact remains that they’ve been able to raise enough money from social media and the like to produce a quality product on the same level as anything the gun control advocates could put together. Instead of single donors giving large heaps of cash or using their personally-controlled media networks to produce their message, the producers of Assaulted relied on individuals to fund their project. Close to 1,000 of them so far, actually.

Social media has made significant inroads into how people get their news. It’s begun to overtake the entrenched media as a trusted source, and it looks like the same thing is happening to longer format media. Instead of the traditional production companies (MGM or Universal and others) being in charge of the message, anyone with an idea and a computer can get (almost) the same level of funding as the “big boys” and get their message out there. In a world where a great idea can gather enough backers to get produced, anything is possible.

It’s a brave new world out there. One where the lack of money doesn’t mean you can’t be heard. It’s something I think is responsible for the quick pre-vote death of the latest federal AWB, and I look forward to what else it can do for the pro-gun movement.