BigHollywood’s Christian Toto interviewed documentary filmmaker Kris Koenig about his upcoming film Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire. The seed for the film was what amounted to a crash course in the 2nd Amendment the director got while on a ride-along with a California sheriff.
The law officer asked if Koenig had a concealed carry permit, a simple question which led to Koenig researching the often arbitrary rules surrounding gun rights.
“I was in a rural county, but if I was in L.A. county or San Diego it’s nearly impossible to get your carry permit,” Koenig tells Big Hollywood.
Those findings helped inspire Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire, a new documentary playing in select theaters later this month narrated by hip-hop star Ice-T. The movie looks at how gun rights were often employed to oppress certain minority groups in the past. It also details how horrific gun violence like the Newtown school shooting makes many forget why the Second Amendment exist in the first place.
The film, scheduled to be released later this month, is an attempt to take an even-handed look at the gun control issue. Let’s just hope that Mr. Koenig doesn’t find his career shot down for neglecting to toe the Hollywood line when it comes to guns.
“Before they put me out into the cold wilderness and deny my ability to do my craft I hope they’ll sit and watch the film … especially those filmmakers who went through the L.A. riots,” he says. “When the government is not there to protect you … you’ll want your right to bear arms.”
