Transcript · In the film
Josh Janssen
Director, co-host and narrator
- In the film
- 199 lines in 27 scenes, 2503 words. First speaks at 1:24.
- Scenes
- Two Australians who love America, Pants on, guns on, The country talks at once, The argument for not knowing, Arrival, Sammy's tour, Teach people, or hear people, Dutch Merrick, Hollywood armourer, In-N-Out, then Autumn, The barbershop, First live rounds, with Mike Sodini, Gina and Ray at the gun shop, Mychael Waller: three times, Dragonland, The sheriff in the diner, Twin Tommy guns, and a live round, Hogs from a helicopter, Are we becoming desensitised?, Every corner has a murderer, Halloween with family, Kids to Kings, Moon Pies, The ammunition vending machine, A safe place within the safe place, Drills, data and the capital, What a bullet does, A shooting on their street
- Elsewhere
- In the credits · IMDb
2. TWO AUSTRALIANS WHO LOVE AMERICA — UNITED STATES
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
My name's Josh, and this is my best mate Tommy. And for as long as we both can remember, we've loved America. As Australians, we love their food, their movies, and their bigger-is-better attitude.
3. PANTS ON, GUNS ON — UNITED STATES
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
Most Australians, including myself, don't understand or relate to America's obsession with guns.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
Can we make a documentary that shares a unique perspective beyond what we see in the headlines?
4. THE COUNTRY TALKS AT ONCE — UNITED STATES
5. THE ARGUMENT FOR NOT KNOWING — MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
JOSH JANSSEN
I think it's, like, doing this topic justice. I think I don't know enough, and I feel like that's been a stress, which is, like—
JOSH JANSSEN
I think that people would call out and say, "Oh, you don't know what you're talking about. Why do you think that you're in a position to make this documentary?"
JOSH JANSSEN
Yeah, it's crazy to think that in a couple of weeks' time we'll be in the car, driving on the wrong side of the road, upside down.
6. ARRIVAL — LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
7. SAMMY'S TOUR — HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
We're starting the journey in Los Angeles, home of the world's biggest movie stars and storytellers. Being outsiders telling a story so foreign to us, I'm a little skeptical, but my mate Tommy is a little bit more relaxed about the whole thing.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
To get over the jet lag, we've booked a Hollywood bus tour to find our bearings.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
We weren't expecting to have such a personal conversation with Sammy. By talking about suicide and the negative side of firearms so quickly, were we entering the conversation at a depth we weren't prepared for?
8. TEACH PEOPLE, OR HEAR PEOPLE — SANTA MONICA AND UCLA
JOSH JANSSEN
I mean, that's the journey we're going to be on. I'm really interested in getting every part of this conversation, so we can walk away and say we've made an honest film.
9. DUTCH MERRICK, HOLLYWOOD ARMOURER — LOS ANGELES
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
We want to talk to all different types of people from across the US, but before we hit the road and start filming, we want to have a base level of firearm safety knowledge. So we signed up for training with renowned Hollywood armorer Dutch Merrick.
JOSH JANSSEN
The last time I did this, I had a panic attack. I had to do it at a first aid course.
JOSH JANSSEN
Experience with guns? No experience with guns. I'm from Australia. And I'm looking to come away with an understanding from a safety perspective, but also having some fun, too. Yeah. So safety and fun.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
Even though we're shooting blanks, it feels like the real thing. In the back of my mind, there's a comfort of being in the safe hands of Dutch. It's beginning to sink in that on the road, things won't be as controlled, and the risk will be real.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
Performing with Dutch was a lot of fun. It felt familiar to what we see in the movies, but at the same time detached from the reality of firearms in the real world.
10. IN-N-OUT, THEN AUTUMN — LOS ANGELES
JOSH JANSSEN
I reckon I'm looking forward to having a reason to have conversations that normally I would just feel like I was being nosy. So because we have the cameras, I feel like maybe I don't feel so intrusive. Yeah.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
Tomorrow is the seventh anniversary of the Las Vegas country music festival mass shooting. Autumn, a mum, wife and history teacher who attended the festival, agreed to meet us before we head to Las Vegas for the memorial.
12. THE BARBERSHOP — LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
13. FIRST LIVE ROUNDS, WITH MIKE SODINI — NEVADA DESERT
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
The argument that it's people, not guns, that kill sort of makes sense. But should every person have the right to own a firearm? Michael Sodini, a Nevada local, grew up in the firearm business.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
He heard about our documentary and invited us to shoot in the desert with him.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
Michael founded a not-for-profit called Walk the Talk, specifically designed to address mental health and gun ownership.
JOSH JANSSEN
Oh, wow, it's got a microphone. Hello, testing, one, two, one, two. Hello. And you turn that off when we shoot?
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
As a firearms importer, Michael has a lot to gain from people buying guns. And as a filmmaker, I was skeptical that tackling mental health was simply a commercially driven endeavor. But as we spent more time with him, we felt a sincerity to his work. He is leaning into uncomfortable conversations, and wanting to see less harm caused from the guns his family sells. We left our time with Michael conflicted. On the one hand, we had a lot of fun, but there was no doubting that in the wrong hands, with the wrong intentions, real harm can be done.
15. GINA AND RAY AT THE GUN SHOP — ST GEORGE, UTAH
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
To understand why people buy guns, we decided to visit a gun shop on the border of Utah and Nevada. When we walked in, we didn't expect to see Gina at the counter.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
It was striking to see someone decide to buy their first gun later in life. We were curious: why now?
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
There was something endearing about Ray, even the way he told his story. But there was no doubt that what he was saying was actually frightening.
16. MYCHAEL WALLER: THREE TIMES — NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
Many people talk about the importance of owning a firearm for their own personal safety. So we're on our way to Tennessee to meet with Mychael, someone who has become a poster boy for the Second Amendment after killing three people in self-defense.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
Mychael was gracious enough to agree to meet us. We suggested we could go clay shooting to hear more about his story.
JOSH JANSSEN
In a self-defense circumstance, do you ever, like, aim at the legs, or just try and disable them, rather than killing?
JOSH JANSSEN
And how did you sort of deal with the weeks and months after, especially with your son being around?
17. DRAGONLAND — COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
But for the most armed man in America, Mel Bernstein, aka Dragon Man, raises the question: can one individual own too many guns?
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
Off camera, we noticed Dragon Man's daughter Melissa getting frustrated with some of our questions.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
Dragon Man and his daughter Melissa didn't need to open their doors to our cameras, but they did. Beyond the character of Dragon Man, we did get to see a side that is Mel Bernstein: that's kind, that's generous, and just so happens to have an obsession with guns.
18. THE SHERIFF IN THE DINER — WACO, TEXAS
JOSH JANSSEN
Um, and so you're dealing with civilians with guns. Does that complicate what you have to do? How do you stay safe?
19. TWIN TOMMY GUNS, AND A LIVE ROUND — WACO, TEXAS
JOSH JANSSEN
Anyway, so I've heard there's a hog problem, and we're thinking about going hog hunting out of a helicopter. What do you think?
20. HOGS FROM A HELICOPTER — TEXAS
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
When we started on this journey, we wanted to challenge our own preconceived ideas and beliefs. Hunting is a big part of American culture, but we've never killed an animal before.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
All right. With that being said, we're scared shitless, and we're being entrusted to shoot pigs out of a moving helicopter.
JOSH JANSSEN
Starting to feel a little motion sick. It's amazing you're able to text and fly at the same time. I always thought that helicopters naturally want to tip over.
21. ARE WE BECOMING DESENSITISED? — TEXAS
JOSH JANSSEN
Think about when we started, and we were, like, worried about where the crew was. And I think about everyone that we've spoken to, I've completely trusted. We're assuming that they have our best interests at heart, that they're thinking about the safety element.
JOSH JANSSEN
We said at the start, "Oh, we don't really want to make a documentary that's filled with politics." Are we slowly becoming influenced to play into that exact narrative?
22. EVERY CORNER HAS A MURDERER — BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA; WASHINGTON, DC; THE TEXAS BORDER
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
Everywhere we look, we see guns. Since being on this road trip, our social media algorithms have morphed into everyday carry videos, body cam footage and self-defense tips.
JOSH JANSSEN
Right where we are now is really where Trump was. Over there, that was where the shooter was?
JOSH JANSSEN
I remember when I first came to the US, and I went and saw a movie at the cinema, and as I sat down, I straight away looked for my exit, which I'd never do in Australia. But I was thinking about the news, and around mass shootings. When you go to a place like this, were guns on your mind?
23. HALLOWEEN WITH FAMILY — CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
For the last month, all we've been talking about is guns, and we need time to collect our thoughts. With Halloween preparations underway, it's a good time for us and the crew to pause. My older brother James moved to the US for college and ended up marrying an American. They now live in North Carolina with my niece and nephew.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
It's the first time Tommy and I are carving pumpkins. It feels about as American as shooting guns for the first time.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
I'm not sure if Americans feel this way, but whenever we do this sort of thing, we feel like we're in a movie.
JOSH JANSSEN
That looks cool. Yeah, and so now I'll cut it out. It's fun. Yeah, you spent more time on yours.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
This suburban bubble feels disconnected from everything we've been exploring, but we can't shake our experience in conversations. It had me reflecting on the world my niece and nephew are growing up in.
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
How does the American gun culture impact children? And what does the future of gun culture look like for the average American child?
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
In the well-needed downtime, Tommy and I were asking these questions, and doing our own research.
24. KIDS TO KINGS — ATLANTA, GEORGIA
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
We'd heard about a program just outside Atlanta, Georgia, not far from North Carolina, called Kids to Kings. They happen to use firearms as part of their practice to empower young boys.
JOSH JANSSEN
We saw a video on Instagram of some kids shooting, and now we're speaking to you. Can you tell us the connection there?
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
When we started on this journey, we wanted to remain as neutral as possible.
25. MOON PIES — ALABAMA
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
But it's hard to not question whether America can improve their relationship to guns.
26. THE AMMUNITION VENDING MACHINE — PELL CITY, ALABAMA
27. A SAFE PLACE WITHIN THE SAFE PLACE — ALABAMA
JOSH JANSSEN (V.O.)
Is there a future that can see Americans safer, while honoring the freedom of gun owners and the Second Amendment? Outside of the obvious conversations we hear about gun control, what measures were actually being taken to keep people safe? A local entrepreneur in Alabama had invented a solution to help kids be safe in classrooms.
28. DRILLS, DATA AND THE CAPITAL — WASHINGTON, DC
JOSH JANSSEN
Who are the people in the middle? Are there more Americans that are in the middle on this, when it comes to guns, or is there a clear divide?
29. WHAT A BULLET DOES — BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
JOSH JANSSEN
There's two choices. One is that there is a positive future ahead, one that has hope. Or there's the second choice, which there is no hope.
31. A SHOOTING ON THEIR STREET — WASHINGTON, DC
JOSH JANSSEN
We're an Australian documentary crew. We're staying just there. And so the fact that there's literally been a shooting out the front of our place is pretty mind-blowing to us.
JOSH JANSSEN
The more time you spend in the US, the higher chance, I guess, of that you are directly impacted.
Every line as spoken in the film, from the full transcript. Times are from the picture-locked cut; children’s names are withheld. Quotation with attribution is welcome. Spotted a mistake? [email protected]