National Rifle Association blames games, music and TV for violent crimes in USA
By Tim Colwill on December 22, 2012 at 2:21 pm
Brace yourself for another fresh wave of blame-shifting: the NRA’s executive vice president Wayne LaPierre has used a press conference overnight to blame games, music and TV for corrupting the youth of America and inciting them to violence.
“There exists in this country a callous, corrupt, and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people,” claimed LaPierre. “Through vicious, violent video games with names like Bulletstorm, Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat, and Splatterhouse. And here’s one: it’s called Kindergarten Killers. It’s been online for 10 years. How come my research department could find it and all of yours either couldn’t or didn’t want anyone to know you had found it?”
For those playing along at home who’ve never heard of Kindergarten Killers, that’s because it’s a crude Flash game made by an 18-year-old UK dude from ten years ago. And nobody ever played it, because… see above.
But LaPierre isn’t finished yet.
“Then there’s the blood-soaked slasher films like American Psycho and Natural Born Killers that are aired like propaganda loops on Splatterdays and every day, and a thousand music videos that portray life as a joke and murder as a way of life. And then they have the nerve to call it entertainment,” said LaPierre. “But is that what it really is? Isn’t fantasizing about killing people as a way to get your kicks really the filthiest form of pornography?”
LaPierre then referred to the media as “silent enablers” and “co-conspirators” who “demonise” lawful gun owners and “fill the national debate with misinformation and dishonest thinking”. TV, newspapers, and even sites like this one are “caught up in a race to the bottom” and in fact competing with other media outlets “shock, violate, and offend every standard of civilized society.” Mmm.
I don’t even really have words for this sort of thing anymore. When the man behind the National Rifle Association thinks it’s music and video games which encourage and enable shooting in schools, and that the solution is to put more guns in schools, there’s just nothing to say. Let’s all just go back to sleep.
Source: Gamespot AU (thanks, PalZer0
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Man he has got a big mouth… I mean look at it!
sure blame it on games or music, even so; if that can somehow make someone that mentally unstable why sell them a gun in the first place, why make it so easy for a nutjob to get a gun? dont sell them guns IE make it harder to purchase; you bunch of muppets
Ah, america.
“Then there’s the blood-soaked slasher films like American Psycho”
Which is not only based on a Novel.. but the entire fucking point of the story is that its addressing basically the entire concept of violence as entertainment. If He actually understood the fucking story he’d know that Bateman made all the murders up in his head, that he needed prescription medication to distinguish reality from fiction.. Most importantly it was to point out that even had he done those things, none of the upper classes really gave a fuck anyway as they have no compassion what so ever for other people because they’re selfish pricks. And best of all.. NOT A SINGLE VIDEO GAME IN SIGHT.
Fucking moron.
Also a good re-buttle for their censorship case would be.
“FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS *holding a gameboy*”
Here we go again…
bennyburner,
You mean Murrica?
I hadn’t thought about it that way sponge, nice link. fortunately most people that support the 2nd support the 1st. it’s weird the NRA has gone this way, leaves themselves open to factual opposition.
Back in the days before TV, Movies and video games there was no crime. Nobody killed anyone and everyone lived happy violence free lives. The easy access to assault rifles has nothing to do with mass killings…
Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc, anyone?
-_-…
What I love is that Americans are buying and hoarding more guns than ever, in case some of them get banned. They seem to collect guns like we collect games on Steam.
submariner,
Despite this trend, gun ownership has been on a declining trend since about the 80′s.
And on that topic I think I will just leave this here…
There’s something up with these people in the U.S. In Canada, they have more guns per person, but being Canadian, far less crime. In Switzerland, they have compulsury military service (ie, conscription), and all members are required to have weapons with them at all times, but no mass shootings occur in Switzerland as far as I can tell. Even so, given the gun culture in the U.S, it defies belief that people can keep saying that guns aren’t the problem.
I think this video explains everything pretty well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature…&v=5uwAo8lcAC4
This site really needs a edit and preview button.
Hope this one works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uwAo8lcAC4
you forgot to add…’….the birthplace of AIDS’
Can you imagine if it were one of his kids in that school? The NRA is a perfect example of Americans being full of themselves.
Thanks for the links PinothyJ and
drunkangel! If only people like LaPierre actually read/saw these things…
drunkangel,
I’ve actually seen that one already. I don’t think it’s a problem with all Americans, but it’s possibly a symptom of a very relaxed attitude toward firearms, and private interest groups like the NRA, a group that kinda scares me. From a continent away.
It’s never been guns kill people, it’s people. LaPierre is obviously as well hinged as a certain Alaskan woman. However putting more guns about isn’t really gonna help. Being a tit and blaming Games, Music and video for the few nutjobs who really let rip is no less unhinged than some of the people who do the damage. Just American’s trying to put spin onto a topic which in the end is completely retarded.
Guns have been a part of society for over 200 years now, and up to say 30-40 years ago, have never really been a huge problem.
Rap music, violent video games, psycho films etc have not been around that long, and all of a sudden society has gone down the sh!tter. Hmm which one would you blame if you had a vested interest in firearms?
The NRA is no different to a union movement in Australia, of course they are going to do everything they can to protect their interest… if the government turned around and said right, we’re going to ban violent video games… then what would you do? Sit around and go “awww… ok, no worries” no, of course you wouldn’t you’d flap around like a raving lunatic calling the government fascists and pigs etc etc.
What came first Video games or Violence? Nuff said
It’s only natural that the NRA would deflect the blame onto something/anything other than guns as a matter of self-interest.
There’s some reports claiming that the Newtown shooter was a pretty hard core gamer. It’s a very complicated issue and I don’t think video games should be solely to blame, nor excluded, from being looked at when examining these sorts of tragedies.
I own and shoot handguns competitively, and hunt with rifles..
Been a gamer since late 80′s. These people who go on a rampage are either suffering from a mental illness or something terrible has happened and they have just snapped in a bad way. Most people even in the worst scenarios that can affect someone, still know that certain things are just plain wrong.. eg: getting a gun and mowing down everyone in sight..
I have played many violent games, watched many horror movies..cant say I have listened to much rap music..not my style..but id never consider using my firearms against any other person regardless of how bad things get.
We have decent laws here in regards to who can / can’t own firearms, and how they are meant to be stored is very strict.. If the US follows the same guidelines RE: ownership / storage of firearms, there will be alot less crime if the storage / licensing conditions are strictly enforced as they are here.
Banning specific weapons is pointless..Focus on the key issues, this NRA guy is just a idiot…
lol so true. What a bad example by him!
I don’t think there is really any one issue that can be blamed nor excluded from the debate. There are a number of socioeconomic issues in the US that can be related to the murders.
Although they can’t deny that easy access to high powered fire arms is enabling these troubled individuals to kill 20-30 people at a time.
As usual everyone is looking for a scape goat. First the NRA, then video games. No one wants to have a good hard look at themselves (including but not limited to the NRA).
… very wtf. im 30. ive listened to rap music, played and watched violent video games and movies for 25 yrs. im also schiozphrenic and bi-polar.
BUT – i dont have any ability to ever buy a gun (police record)
so no massacres for me.
i just read that this NRA dude’s son is serving in prison for 10 years for improper discharge of a firearm, because he shot at someone in a road rage incident…
The problem with gun ownership and crime statistics is that they’re generally only cited by those with an agenda on the topic either way. It’s really tough to cut through the bullshit.
Here’s some tidbits from a study done by Cambridge University on the subject –
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/research/hicrc/firearms-research/guns-and-death/index.html
The general gist of their research is this – more guns = more homicide. Worth a read if you’re intellectually honest enough to want to read some facts, not some commissioned “research” by polling agencies…
I don’t understand why theses people all blam guns and games for this stuff when there is one thing no one EVER talks about. DRUGS! And not illegal ones, LEGAL ones. In particular, antidepressant. In the US the laws are more relaxed, and as such, the antidepressant are stronger, and thus, have more side effects. If you look at the school shootings, most, if not all of the gunners where on some sort of antidepressant drug.
If only I had enough of an understanding of their constitution to actually get it, but alas I don’t. We do after all live in another country that has a very different system, but wherever it is, I guess any group will blame something other than themselves in order to protect themselves.