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In 2014, guns killed as many Americans as cars, according to data released last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The identical rates — 10.3 per 100,000 people — was a milestone, marking the first convergence of gun and automobile death trends in more than 60 years.

While vehicle-related fatalities have rapidly declined since 1950, public awareness of shooting deaths — if not the shootings themselves — has increased, buoyed by high-profile incidents in Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo. and San Bernardino, Calif.

But beyond those headline-grabbing tragedies, according to documentary filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig, lies a larger epidemic of American gun violence.

"The most typical mass shooting that occurs in this country is a man who goes home and kills his family," Soechtig said. "That's the most common, it just doesn't get the same amount of attention."

Soechtig's latest documentary, "Under the Gun," premiered Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival.

The film begins with a chilling statistic that 22 Americans will be shot before the documentary ends, then examines the history, politics and corporate interests surrounding the country's firearms in the same vein as "Fed Up," Soechtig's 2014 film about sugar consumption and the soft drink industry.

"It's become unavoidable," she said of the subject of gun violence. "It feels like every month we're hearing about another one of these mass shootings."

She's not the only Sundance filmmaker who feels that way.

In addition to "Under the Gun," this year's festival includes "Newtown," a documentary about the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, "Speaking Is Difficult," a documentary short that includes the recent murders in San Bernardino, and "Dark Night," a narrative feature inspired by the Aurora, Colo., theater massacre.

And this year's film festival included an extra level of security, with guests asked to open their coats and bags before entering most screening venues.

"We've become so desensitized to these episodes that it is disturbing," said "Newtown" director Kim Snyder. "I wanted to do something that would pierce through that desensitization."

Snyder arrived in Newtown six weeks after the shooting, which left 20 children and 6 adults dead. For the next three years, she conducted interviews with more than 50 members of the community, including the victims' families, hospital workers, local clergy, and school teachers who survived the attack.

"I wanted to tell a story of collected grief and trauma," she said. "Nobody escapes grief in their life. That's the universal part of the movie."

Park City residents Lisa and Dan Williamson said the personal stories shared in "Newtown" left them speechless.

"Like all true tragedies," Dan Williamson said. "It's good to be reminded."

Snyder said she tried to sidestep the polarization of the gun debate by focusing on a community affected by tragedy.

Too often, she said, the dialogue about compassion and grief is hijacked by the politics of gun ownership and regulation.

"A lot of people want to have a civilized conversation and feel like they can't around this issue," she said.

With "Under the Gun," Soechtig said she rejected the common black-and-white narrative that Americans are either pro-gun or anti-gun.

The film includes interviews with public figures like Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2007, as well as gun owners and gun safety advocates.

The conversation points to a gaping disconnect between government inaction and a broad public consensus on issues like guns sales and background checks, which have gone unheeded by lawmakers.

"Ninety percent of the country supports closing the background check loophole," Soechtig said. "I don't even think 90 percent of the country likes kittens."

And Soechtig said her film is as much for gun control supporters as it is for gun owners, many of whom are unfairly lumped into a homogeneous category with the National Rifle Association and firearm manufacturers.

"We agree on a lot more things than we've been led to believe," she said. "There's this huge faction of gun owners who haven't had a voice until now."

Soechtig said there's "plenty of blame to go around" for why so little has been done to stem gun violence.

And the NRA, notably, refused to participate in interviews for the film.

But Soechtig said the disconnect between what lawmakers do and what Americans want is partly the result of voters who don't demand action at the ballot box.

"At the end of the day," she said, "it's our elected officials who are supposed to carry out these laws."

Terese Wix, of Los Angeles, said the "Under The Gun" drove her to tears and made her question her own complacency on gun issues.

"I felt overwhelmed," Wix said. "It's time to go home and make a mark."

Twitter:@bjaminwood —

Gun issues at Sundance

"Under the Gun" • Monday, 8:30 a.m., Egyptian Theatre, Park City; Saturday, 5:45 p.m., Temple Theatre, Park City; and Sunday, 6:30 p.m., Rose Wagner, Salt Lake City

"Newtown" • Monday, 9:30 p.m., Redstone Cinema 1, Park City; Thursday, 8:30 p.m., the MARC, Park City; Friday, 3:15 p.m., Holiday Village Cinema 2, Park City; and Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Rose Wagner, Salt Lake City

"Speaking Is Difficult" • Part of the Shorts Program 1 screening Saturday, 7 p.m., Holiday Village Cinema 4, Park City

"Dark Night" • Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Redstone Cinema 1, Park City; Friday, 8:30 a.m., the MARC, Park City; and Saturday, noon, Broadway Centre Cinemas, Salt Lake City

The 2016 Sundance Film Festival

Where • Park City and venues in Salt Lake City, Ogden and the Sundance resort

When • Jan. 21-31

Tickets • $20 per screening. Box offices are in the Gateway Center, 136 Heber Ave., Park City; and in Trolley Square, 600 East and 600 South, Salt Lake City.

Waitlist information • Register at ewaitlist.sundance.org and download the app to your smartphone or tablet; waitlist tickets are $20, cash only.

Program guide • sundance.org/festivals/sundance-film- festival

All the news • Keep up with the Salt Lake Tribune's full Sundance coverage at sltrib.com/entertainment/sundance