American Totem: Reckoning With Gun Cultures

After public mass shootings, the national gun debate consists of predictable talking points that focus on the object and neglect the underlying causes. However, firearms are unlike other objects. For some Americans, they are the symbols of personal identity and community. For other Americans, they represent racial oppression and violence. American Totem explores American’s emotional connection to firearms, and the power of this object to both create and destroy community. Taking a non-artisan approach, diverse communities, gun rights activists, gunshot victims and community organizers share their stories; and historians, philosophers, and sociologists offer their viewpoints.

Exploring the topic of guns in America from a more nuanced approach than the standard “more guns versus less guns” debate, American Totem recognizes that Americans have complex, and often contradictory, relationships with firearms.

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FILMMAKER'S STATEMENT: "In 2015, I decided to make American Totem in response to what seemed to be a rise in mass shootings across the country. Like most Americans, I thought the solutions to address gun violence were obvious, and only political will was lacking. I believed that if I simply offered unbiased facts, political action would follow. But the conclusions I’ve drawn in the process are not the ones I set out to find. I’ve learned that this object has meaning to both sides of the political debate, and a deeper understanding of what the gun represents is critical for reducing gun violence. My hope is that this film reframes the debate in order to move us towards a more peaceful society."

— Sue Hildebrand