A conservative Evangelical minister preaches about the growing number of deaths in the first movie, and a former hunter and gun owner advocates regulation in the second.
“The Armor of Light,” will premiere Oct. 30 at select theaters such as Evansville’s AMC 16, according to Moms Demand Action’s Indiana Facebook page.
“The Armor of Light” will examine gun violence through a “moral lens” instead of a political one, according to the website, and its subjects work to find common ground even though their political beliefs differ.
Abigail Disney said she looked hard for someone on the far right of the political field who saw contradiction in conservative evangelical attitudes toward guns, according to her director’s statement.
“In short, I wanted to know how a person could be both ‘pro-life’ and ‘pro-gun,’” Disney wrote.
“The Armor of Light” offers free tickets to National Rifle Association members on its webpage.
On Nov. 15, Moms Demand Action will co-sponsor “Living for 32” at Bloomington’s Buskirk-Chumley Theater. A film about the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, it profiles one survivor, Colin Goddard, who worked as a gun violence prevention activist on the Brady Campaign.
Goddard will speak at the event, as will Paul Helmke, former president of the Brady Campaign and IU’s Civic Leaders Center director.
Susan Sandberg, who announced the Nov. 15 “Living for 32” screening at last week’s common council meeting, said she supports Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in its goal of regulating gun access.
“You’re not going to stop all kinds of mindless violence, but you can certainly cut down on it with some regulation,” Sandberg said. “No way should people who are unstable or criminally inclined have access to guns.”
Sandberg said her position in the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs allowed her to meet Goddard when he spoke with students in IU’s Civic Leaders group last year, when “Living for 32” was screened.
“(The movie) is very moving in and of itself,” Sandberg said. “His story is very powerful as a survivor of the Virginia Tech gun massacre.”
Sandberg called Goddard an atypical advocate for gun regulation. His family owned guns and hunted.
“I think more people might listen to him than would otherwise,” Sandberg said. “I think sometimes the most powerful speakers for gun safety are gun owners — responsible gun owners.”
Sandberg said Goddard’s position may also convince those who argue in favor of arming students on campuses.
At her second viewing of “Living for 32,” Sandberg said she hopes to see more people interested in gun regulation before another attack or fatal shooting.
“As someone whose job it is to make sure our community is safe and civil ... I can’t imagine what it will take to get our country to address gun violence,” Sandberg said.
