Though filmmaker Michael Moore has made numerous movies that have sparked debate and controversy, it's his Oscar-winning film "Bowling for Columbine," in which he looks at the rampant gun violence in the US, that made him a hero to liberals and enemy No. 1 to some conservatives.
But 13 years after the release of "Columbine," gun violence, particularly public mass shootings, is on the rise. In fact, there have been more mass shootings in the US than days in 2015.
After the horrific mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, in early December where 14 people were killed, President Obama publicly stated the nation's gun laws needed to be reevaluated.
"It's another tragic reminder that here in America it's way too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on a gun,"said Obama.
Talking recently to Moore, who was promoting his new movie, "Where to Invade Next,"Business Insider asked the director how he feels about the gun-violence situation in America, and the fact that his Oscar-winning "Columbine" hasn't seemed to help stop mass gun violence in the country.
"I feel pretty bad," said Moore. "Because I made that movie to try and stop it."
While appealing the "R" rating for his new movie, Moore reminded the MPAA what they said when he was there appealing the "R" rating for "Columbine."
"I said, 'I was here 13 years ago with 'Bowling for Columbine' and you gave me an R rating and back then there was a school shooting a year. You said you didn't want to upset teenagers who watch a movie, that it would make them think about school shootings.' Well, how has that worked out?," said Moore.
"We're never better off as a society when you try to limit information, or limit discussion. So the limiting and censoring at that time didn't help the problem. It didn't go away, it only got worse."
In Moore's opinion there's only one way to enact strict gun laws in the US, and it's a chilling proposition.
"You'll see a strict gun law passed when someone releases the crime-scene photos of the next school where 20 young people's children's faces have been blown away," said Moore.
"During the Vietnam War, you saw what was happening over there on the 6:30 news — that did more to turn people against the war than anything else. A 3-year-old washes ashore in Turkey three months ago, and it galvanized all of Europe and they opened their doors to the Syrian refugees. One photo of the 3-year-old dead. I don't want the parents to suffer through it, but if the crime-scene photos from the next mass shooting were ever released, that night the NRA — they might as well shutter their doors and windows, because they are done. That's what it will probably take."
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