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Keep and Bear: The Movie (DVD) Review by Renee Knoblauch
http://keepandbear.com/product/dvd/Our 2nd Amendment has been a huge debate throughout the years. When we teach our kids about our Constitution and the amendments some of the topics can be more difficult to talk about. Whether you are for or against our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. The reality is that when you teach the Constitution to our children this is a topic that will need to be talked about.
Often when you turn on the television you hear about robberies, gun violence, and even mass shootings. Guns are everywhere for our kids to learn about from T.V. shows, movies, news, and even video games. Maybe they ask, “Why do people have guns?”
Second Amendment was the first 10 amendments to the Constitution adopted in 1791.
Second Amendment reads, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Keep and Bear: The Movie is a Darren Doane film. This movie was released in February of 2017. The running time is a little over 60 minutes long and is a documentary.
The documentary is broken into segments:
- Introduction
- Who Are You People
- It’s Nota Bomb
- Date Night
- Non Violence
- Road Trip
- Free Man
- Gun Owner
In 2014 Darren Doane moves his family to Idaho. He finds that all around him friends and neighbors are proud American gun owners who, believe that it is their right to keep and bear arms according to the Second Amendment. Darren and his wife Natalie know nothing about guns. In fact, they have never handled a firearm!
Darren finds that he wants to learn why the Second Amendment is so controversial? He doesn’t have any problem with someone owning a gun. He questions himself wondering, “What would it take for him to own a gun himself?” He just doesn’t know anything about guns. He admits that guns even scare him.
Who Are You People:
Darren interviews people in his community who are gun owners. He wants to find out who they are and why they own guns. He interviews a handful of individuals all from different walks of life. He concludes they are all law-abiding citizens who are responsible gun owners.
It’s Nota Bomb:
The next step for Darren is to take a gun class where he learns about gun safety and other helpful information. Then it’s time to actually hold a gun and fire it for the first time. He admits that it’s a bit intimidating. He doesn’t know about types of guns, how to put the bullets into the gun. How to check the chamber of the gun to make sure it’s not loaded, or how to aim the gun at the target.
The four basic gun rules are taught to him:
- Assume all guns are loaded.
- Never point a gun at any one you’re not willing to shoot.
- Never put your finger on the trigger until you decide that your intended target is safe to shoot.
- Gun should always face a safe direction at all times.
One part that I like is that during this time his instructor tells him that, “He is smart enough to seek professional help with a gun.”
Date Night:
Now it’s time to for Darren and his wife to learn about different calibers of bullets and guns. They fire revolvers, semi-automatics, shot guns, AR-15, pump action, lever action, and a variety of guns. What are the pros and cons of each gun? In the end, they are both completely surprised at the gun that they both like and it’s the AR-15.
Non Violence:
This shows a lot of media coverage about types of AR-15 guns and talks about some interesting facts about this particular gun. The both really like the AR-15 but, this is the gun that the media has really attacked.
After the Date Night segment the Orlando shooting happens and Darren starts to wonder what could have been the outcome if one or more of those individuals had a gun. They had time to focus and text family members while waiting for the gun man to come their way. What if they had time to articulate and focus with a fire arm?
Road Trip:
Darren takes his wife and four kids on a road trip to Georgia to an AR-15 factory. They see how the guns are made and assembled. He interviews those who work at the factory. They touch on the media bias about the AR-15. He finds out that the AR-15 is used mostly for hunting. The kids learn a lot and most importantly a healthy respect for guns.
Free Man:
This gets into the Second Amendment in more detail. He covers gun rights and what happened in past history when the government takes away guns, and the outcry against guns every time there is a shooting.There are discussions about the Constitutional right that protects our rights to have gun and to protect your family and yourself. Another debate about, “People are not responsible to have a gun.” If that is the case, “Then should citizens be allowed to own a gun in today’s world?”
Another topic that is brought up is that, “gun control measures turn honest firearm owners in to criminals in the eyes of the public.” The Second Amendment is under siege for the first time. What did our founding fathers intend when they ratified the Second Amendment?A bit of history is covered about the 13 colonies and how it was the right and duty for all the colonies except for individuals in Pennsylvania for the head of the households to have a gun by the militia.
Gun Owner:
Darren shares about being a responsible gun owner now and concludes the movie.
How did I use this in my homeschool? We have been learning about the Constitution in our homeschool. Keep and Bear was a great addition to cover the Second Amendment. My eleven-year-old son watched the movie with me. We had a lot of discussions about the Second Amendment, guns, and gun violence.
My son’s assignment was to research both sides of the debate and write an essay about the Second Amendment from both viewpoints. He also had to give a comprehensive reason about how he feels about this debate. The last part of the assignment was would he, “Keep and Bear when he gets old enough to do so?” He thought out his essay in detail. It was interesting assignment for him to do. He learned a lot about the Second Amendment.
This is a good movie for learning about the Second Amendment. Age range I would suggest junior and senior high school. My son is much younger but, I felt he was mature enough for this debate. I would suggest that you watch the movie yourself and decide if feel this is something you want to introduce to your child if they are younger.
This was a well-made movie. I would recommend adding this into your studies on the Constitution. Darren did a good job explaining the process that he went through from being scared of guns, to being a gun owner. I also felt that he did a great job covering so many hard topics in a tasteful manner. He doesn’t down play the topic nor does he make this a political statement. I felt he was fair to both sides and giving just the facts of this debate.
-Product review by Renee Knoblauch, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, April, 2017
