The Who-What-Where -When-Why-How of Country Music Singer Ketch Secor and NPR Journalist David Greene That Country Music Could Sway America From Its Obsession with Guns
Country Music Luv-ers in Missoula Public Library meeting.
Who?
Ketch Secor: Grammy-winning lead singer and co-founder of the roots/country band Old Crow Medicine Show (co-writer of “Wagon Wheel”). David Greene: Journalist, producer, and former NPR Morning Edition host. Doug Pray: Documentary film maker.
What?
Missoula Public Library Meeting
Secor and Greene came to believe that a special documentary film that came to be named LOUDER THAN GUNS could could pave the way for America to give up its obsession with guns. Their idea originated from a bristling headline New York Times op-ed by Secor: “Country Music Can Lead America Out of Its Obsession with Guns”. The article inspired Secor and Greene to team up for mission that country music could serve as a neutral table for civil discourse on gun violence and firearm safety.
Where
Filmed on location across rural, suburban, and urban America. Conversations and community forums were held inside gun shops, barbershops, church pews, BBQ joints, and concert venues while Old Crow Medicine Show toured.
When
Their mission was catalyzed by the March 2023 shooting massacre at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Secor wrote a song dedicated to the victims: “Louder Than Guns,” which sparked the op-ed, the tour and the subsequent must-see documentary.
Public Meeting Owensboro KY – Photo by-John Fee
Why
Secor and Greene believed country music holds a unique position in American culture. The audiences at roots and country concerts span the full spectrum of modern political and cultural divides. Rather than waiting various Powers-That-Be, Secor and Greene set out to demonstrate that localized, empathetic dialogue — united by a shared love of music — could break through dead-end ideological battles and humanize both sides of the gun debate.
How
Leveraging the Tour: As Old Crow Medicine Show traveled the country, Secor and Greene set up open, non-partisan listening circles and community conversations in every city they visited. Bringing Diverse Voices Together: They brought gun owners, police officers, parents, and mass shooting survivors into the same room to talk respectfully about firearm safety and reform. Using Music as a Bridge: They used acoustic performances, songwriting, and shared cultural ground to lower tensions and foster vulnerability, capturing the entire journey on camera for the documentary.
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