''The Right of the People'' is a 1986 made-for-TV crime drama movie starring Michael Ontkean, Billy Dee Williams, Jane Kaczmarek, Jamie Smith Jackson and Lisa Jakub, with special guest John Randolph. It debuted on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

on January 13, 1986. The movie, originally intended as a feature film, was written and directed by Jeffrey Bloom. He wrote the script in outrage over the

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

during the robbery of a Los Angeles Bob's Big Boy restaurant in 1980. At the network's request, Bloom revised his original script to increase anti-gun viewpoints in the story.

Plot

Christopher Wells is a District Attorney, in fictional St. Lawrence, Kansas. One evening, his wife, Angela, and daughter Katie, are among several people shot to death in a

robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

by two ex-cons. Wells, previously opposed to handguns, then pushes for mass arming of his town's citizens for self defense, while his best friend, police officer Mike Trainor, and Angela's friend Alicia remain opposed. Nonetheless, Wells' proposal passes and the movie explores Bloom's visions of an armed public.

References

External links

* American legal drama films Films scored by Billy Goldenberg American Broadcasting Company original films 1986 television films 1986 films 1980s crime films Films set in Kansas Works about gun politics in the United States 1980s English-language films Films directed by Jeffrey Bloom 1980s American films {{tv-drama-film-stub