Gun Shop – A fixed rig documentary for Channel 4’s documentary strand Cutting Edge

Due to air in October 2016, Gun Shop will give the British public an unfettered view of what goes on inside America’s gun shops; exploring the culture that surrounds gun ownership and providing a window into one of the most divisive issues currently facing America.

Directed by multi-award winning filmmaker, John Douglas (Our War, Life and Death Row), and produced by award-winning filmmaker James Rogan (Monty Python: The Meaning of Live, Life in the Freezer Cabinet), the film promises to reveal insights into the relationship that everyday Americans have with their guns that go beyond the gun-toting stereotypes.

As politicians in the US debate gun control and the election looms, Gun Shop will ask difficult questions about American gun culture but also showcase the facet of guns that is so often overlooked: the role they play in so many people’s lives. 

Douglas’ vision for the documentary guarantees a compelling watch, he commented:

“Gun Shop will be relevant and accessible to a British audience by focussing on the normal everyday life of a small, family run shop where things are at once instantly recognisable to us but disconcertingly different. Where life revolves around one of the most controversial and divisive issues in American society – the right to walk in off the street and buy a gun.'”

Producer James Rogan also commented:

‘A hotly debated topic across the US and the rest of the world, gun ownership is one of the most important issues currently facing America. This film offers an opportunity to better understand the role gun shops and their owners play in everyday American society, by getting under the skin of the characters who make their living out of selling guns.’

Alisa Pomeroy, Channel 4 Documentaries Commissioning Editor commented:

“The purpose of Cutting Edge strand is to give our most talented documentary makers the support they need to produce the best films they possibly can. The films tackle a range of subjects and stories, they can be everything from quirky to heart-wrenching, often making challenging and less populist subjects accessible. Crucially, the one uniting theme is that they all reflect the world around us, revealing brand new stories, or exploring well-trodden stories with a fresh and modern voice.”