The NRA Blames Violent Entertainment for Shootings

[lenguy]

So I just read an article over on IGN about how the NRA seems to be targeting violence in all of its many forms of media and entertainment,such as Television shows,Movies and Video games.

NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre said violent crime is increasing and that “there exists in this country a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people.”

Of course,from the help second amendment of the constitution and other federal laws. It has become almost too easy for ordinary everyday American citizens to gain access to firearms. Anybody of age can go and buy a firearm at your local Walmart and proceeded to shoot up a school that very day. Not to mention with regulations so lenient,most children can probably find a firearm in most average American homes these days. Its easy enough to point the finger and blame somebody or something else when gun laws make it so easy to get a hold of these weapons in the first place. Lets start there first,shall we?

LaPierre specifically called out “vicious, violent video games with names like Bulletstorm, Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat and Splatterhouse” and pointed to a ten year-old flash game called Kindergarten Killer as well as “blood-soaked slasher films like American Psycho and Natural Born Killers.” LaPierre said such films “are aired like propaganda loops on ‘Splatterdays’ and every day” along with “a thousand music videos that portray life as a joke and murder as a way of life.

And then there was more....

LaPierre said “a child growing up in America witnesses 16,000 murders and 200,000 acts of violence by the time he or she reaches the ripe old age of 18” and called upon parents to protect their children, adding “they're our kids. They're our responsibility. And it's not just our duty to protect them — it's our right to protect them.” Rallying against gun control, LaPierre called upon Congress “to put armed police officers in every school” in order to “make sure that blanket of safety is in place when our children return to school in January.”

Okay...first off,which child has EVER witnessed 16,000 murders? Are we talking about real acts of violence? Or are we talking fictional murders,like you would see in movies or video games per say? Because that would make a boat load more sense.

Secondly,did he just suggest putting police officers in schools? Yes,that will quell and put to rest all the fear and anxiety within this nation gripped by the horrors of mass shootings. As if kids aren't already frightened enough by these scenarios. Having to come to school everyday and seeing an armed officer will reassure kids right? Reassure them of what? That they are protected? Or that they are potentially in eminent danger? In my opinion,all you are really doing is just adding another potential victim here. I counter your firearms with firearms of my own! Is that how the NRA really views things? More guns...that will solve the issue.

I think America really needs to reevaluate their gun control laws. This is a country that is fascinated with their firearms. So much so that they promote not only the use of guns but the availability of them within their own constitution. You don't have to go as far as to outlaw them. However they need to take a serious look at all the laws they currently have in place. Something needs to change or else shit like this will just keep on happening,more and more frequently.

Is the NRA right to blame movies,games ect..ect..?

Who is really to blame for these kind of incidents?

Does American really have to get tough on gun laws? Will that make any difference whatsoever?

With the NRA's suggestion to place law enforcement officers in school,do you think that will be enough to stop these shootings? Is it the right move or are there better answers?

What needs to happen here for American to initiate some kind of change? What does America need to do in order to isolate incidents like this and prevent more innocent people from being slaughtered? What approach would you take?

How many more people have to die before something is done? School shootings,in fact,any kind of mass shooting has become an epidemic within the U.S.A. People are dying,nothing gets done,people bicker endlessly to find a reason,but no solution. People will squabble and debate on this matter and while nothing gets done,there will be more shootings. The parents of the victims will be devastated,a country will mourn and people will once again bicker and point the finger with nothing being accomplished. At the end of the day,you will only have more deaths and families will be torn apart and lye in ruin. My only thought is that this is getting ridiculous. What if your child? What if somebody close to you? How frightening is must be for not only parents but children,knowing that your school could be next. Its heartbreaking to know. Its even more of a heartbreak knowing that nothing is being done.

Sound off below.

[justtxyank]

I'm not sure how to react to it. I watched it and was rolling my eyes at him a lot until he said one thing in passing that hit me. He said something like "getting thrills by killing people in video games is the worst kind of pornography."

It's pretty much accepted by scientists that watching porn impacts men and alters our views on sex and desensitizes us, etc. If a film shows a couple having sex parents really worry about their kids seeing that. They don't want to talk about sex with their kids. Joking about sex with your kids is a no-no. Makes everyone uncomfortable. Dad would never watch a porno with his son. Now, go watch a movie where 100s of people get killed, heads get chopped off, etc? No problemo.

[Sinister Shadows]

I don't know about other places, but my school had an armed SRO (School Resource Officer) for my entire time in school. Though I went to a small school where most everyone had pocket knives as well.

[Enlightenment]

Man this is crazy I've watched some extremely violent movies, and played some bloody video games. Thats not gonna make me go out and kill people that's just a cop out excuse.

[Lee]

People play video games in the UK. Gun crime is almost non existent.

My thoughts on it were posted on my Twitter:

I love that the NRA spends a whole spiel saying it's not the gun it's the gunman then blames the videogame and not the gamer.

[Natural Selection]

Originally Posted by lenguy

Is the NRA right to blame movies,games ect..ect..?

Yes, movies and games have a deep influence on today's generation.

Who is really to blame for these kind of incidents?

The parents and the individual.

Does American really have to get tough on gun laws? Will that make any difference whatsoever?

No and no.

With the NRA's suggestion to place law enforcement officers in school,do you think that will be enough to stop these shootings? Is it the right move or are there better answers?

School shootings do become harder with someone shooting back at you.

What needs to happen here for American to initiate some kind of change? What does America need to do in order to isolate incidents like this and prevent more innocent people from being slaughtered? What approach would you take?

It all comes down to individuals. This country needs to get back to individualism which requires personal responsibility. All of these shootings are the result of something different. New Town was not caused by the same things as Columbine and vice versa. If someone wants to cause harm, they will.

[Reverend Doug Crashin.]

I fucking hate it. Video games are ALWAYS the scapegoat... WTF is the ESRB for? If anything it is the PARENT'S responsibility to oversee if their child weather mentally ill or not, is buying things that are appropriate to them.

[Rayne]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyAwesome

School shootings do become harder with someone shooting back at you.

It all comes down to individuals. This country needs to get back to individualism which requires personal responsibility. All of these shootings are the result of something different. New Town was not caused by the same things as Columbine and vice versa. If someone wants to cause harm, they will.

Actually, I can tie all of these shootings together with one common theme: they're all shootings. A problem that the rest of the industrialized world doesn't seem to have, even though they have the same violent video games and movies that we do.

School shootings DO become harder with someone shooting back at you, you're absolutely right. But as you've said (and I entirely disagree with, but let's take your logic to its limit here), "If someone wants to cause harm, they will." So what stops them from shooting up a soccer field? What about a day care? How about a shopping mall or sports stadium? (Actually, I'm very surprised that there hasn't been a mass shooting at a sports stadium yet. Minimal security and a huge concentration of unarmed people.)

"Arm the schools" is a red herring, because all you do is cause someone to move to the next soft target. Defending every soft target is literally impossible. (Unless we start arming everyone, and based on your "9/10ths of gun accidents are caused by stupidity" argument from another thread, that sounds like a fantastically horrible idea.)

If someone wants to cause harm and you believe there's no way to prevent that (not true, but whatever, we're using your ideas here), you're left with two choices.

A) Do nothing and pretend to be outraged during the next mass shooting. This is the preferred option for most people, because it allows them to keep running their mouths without having to take any personal responsibility for their own viewpoints. This includes the "violent media" route, which I think we all know is entirely horseshit.
B) Limit the capacity of an individual to cause harm. If he's going to do it and you believe he can't be stopped, then the next sensible thing to try is to limit the total amount of damage.

With option B, we've tried the 'limit who can get what firearms' route. It doesn't work, because not only can you simply steal a weapon from an owner (we're living in the real world, not the world where every single gun owner is the paragon of personal responsibility- remember, 9/10ths of gun accidents are caused by stupid people), you can walk into a gun show and buy one. On top of THAT, many of these recent shootings (notice how I have to use the word "many"?) are caused by people with no prior criminal record.

During a conversation I had right after the shootings, someone made the comment "people are never going to forget this", at which I exploded and said "they'll forget about this in two weeks". Two weeks later, we're blaming video games and movies for the damage high-capacity magazines and hollow point ammunition can cause. God Bless this fucking Country.