Film Review-Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence
By Craig Wing
David Barnhart’s documentary film, Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence, deals with the personal and societal impacts of gun violence in America. The film consists of conversations with survivors and victims’ families, community leaders, lawmakers, former ATF officials, police officers, and emergency room chaplains and surgeons. The documentary utilizes the “ripple effect” theory to illustrate the wide-ranging impact that a shooting has on a survivor, a family, the local community, and society as a whole.
The film offers an insightful array of personal testimonies of those impacted by the “ripple effect” of gun violence.The documentary offers not only insight into the wide-ranging effects of gun violence in our culture, but also provides pertinent information on how to prevent gun violence in the first place.The film addresses the issue of gun violence prevention and advocates the need for universal background checks and waiting periods for all gun purchases, and a ban on semiautomatic weapons. The documentary urges its viewers to actively find the local organizations dedicated to gun violence prevention and to get involved.
In summary, Trigger is a film well worth watching. The documentary is well crafted and the content provided is fascinating. The stories of those affected by gun violence are insightful and at times emotionally riveting. Perhaps the greatest aspect of the film is the insightful solutions that it provides to its viewers in regard to actively preventing gun violence in one’s own community.