Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell’s journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Every episode re-examines something from the past — an event, a person, an idea, even a song — and asks whether we got it right the first time. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance. As part of the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival, this episode is the culmination of a six-part series from Revisionist History covering everything Americans get wrong about guns. Gladwell hosts a conversation with gun control activist David Hogg and trauma surgeon Dr. Babak Sarani.
Gladwell asks Dr. Sarani to describe his efforts to save victims of gun violence in a hospital setting, with a shocking number of victims being shot multiple times, and the surprising difference in fatality rates between injuries caused by handguns compared to assault weapons.
Hogg talks about his advocacy for stricter gun control laws in the wake of surviving the Parkland mass shooting. He talks about preventing suicide and accidental firearm deaths, championing legislative reforms that specifically helped save his own mother from threats by an NRA supporter.
Despite a difficult road paved by changes to the balance of the Supreme Court, both guests give their reasons for hope and optimism, including the one thing they think will make the biggest difference in the immediate future.
This conversation was recorded in Seattle on May 4, 2024.
Listen to full uncut episodes on the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival podcast at crosscut.com/podcast.