National Rifle Association vice president Wayne LaPierre says violent video games like Bulletstorm and Mortal Kombat partially to blame for last week's deadly shooting in Connecticut.
During a press conference this morning, a National Rifle Association spokesperson said violent video games are partially to blame for last week's deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
"There exists in this country a callous, corrupt, and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people," NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre said. "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?"
LaPierre also pointed the finger at the film and music industries.
"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. 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 argued that media conglomerates, like the ones responsible for the games, music, and films listed above, are caught up in a "race to the bottom," and in fact compete with each other to "shock, violate, and offend every standard of civilized society."
Complicit in this behavior, according to LaPierre, is the national media, their corporate owners, and stockholders, who are "silent enablers" and even "co-conspirators." He claimed media "demonize" lawful gun owners and "fill the national debate with misinformation and dishonest thinking."
Earlier this week, West Virginia senator Jay Rockefeller introduced a bill to Congress that would direct the National Academy of Sciences to investigate how violent games and other such programming affect children.
The Entertainment Consumers Association issued a statement on the matter today, pointing to "volumes of scientific research" that indicate no link between media violence and real-world violence has ever been established.
"We agree with the Supreme Court's decisions, and the volumes of scientific research, which all clearly state that there is no causal link between media violence and real life violence," said the ECA's vice president & general counsel Jennifer Mercurio. "As we are all learning increasingly through the news, this is a situation of the perpetrator's mental disorders, and his family's inability to adequately deal with them in time. Our hearts remain with all those suffering in the aftermath of this horrendous crime."
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
The NRA was founded because of records for the American Civil War indicating that the Union troops fired about 1,000 rifle shots for each Confederate soldier hit - and thus it's founders deciding there was a need for better training.
Can anyone smell the irony?
i have to agree with what someone here already posted.Its in our Nature to be Violent.You can take away all the guns in the world and that still wont stop people from killing other people.Its been like that since the begining of time.People with mental issues will not suddenly stop being crazy just because they take away assault rifles.."OMG! they banned assault rifles? im cured! we(mental patients) can all go home now!" ...please!
Since all the science shows that violent games and media aren't to blame, it's the NRA that "fill the national debate with misinformation and dishonest thinking." "There exists in this country a callous, corrupt, and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people," and it's called the NRA.
These people have no valid point as their magazine that is printed monthly includes advertisements foe assault rifles (You know, guns that are specifically DESIGNED to kill another human being). The very notion the NRA would make a public statement about anything violent is completely asinine as the NRA have their own violent video games!!! The NRA has put out four video games, including ?NRA Gun Club,? ?NRA High Power Competition? and ?NRA Varmint Hunter" the later of which the player proceed to shoot cute, furry little animals minding their own business, eating nuts and berries and carrying on with their little lives. I wish people would sit down and shut up before they open their mouths and make a negative comment on something they have their little fingers in.
5 Like "There exists in this country a callous, corrupt, and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people,"
Yes, it's called the NRA.
It's actually funny to see how many comments are written as if they read the title then immediately scrolled down to the comment window.
I don't think he actually directly accuses games for the shooting, but rather just states that media in general is violent and it's hard to argue with the point that he makes of that in pretty much all forms of media, developers and producers are finding new ways to make portrayed violence even more violent.
1 Like Clearly, this moron does not attack tv. I love Walking Dead, but it's easier to access than some video game without a parent. The show really scares the sh*t out of me and it's so VIOLENT! What about Hunger Games? Perhaps he won't attack television stations or movies because of self interest. Maybe he has some money in advertising during shows or movies. Let's just throw a martial arts game in the mix with the a "bullet storm" titled game too. Ya that sounds good. IDIOTS.
1 Like The real culprit for this event was not guns, games, or communism. It was violet music. Just look at how they do not sing about flowers, ponies, and cute little children , like all normal people do. Yeah, Marlyn Manson was definitely responsible.
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IT WAS HUMANS YOU DUMBFUCKS!
LETS BAN ALL HUMANS NOW
While reading this, all I can think is "Fuck you". I shouldn't read this stuff, they make me sad about the future of all people and they deserve it for being that dumb and causing it on themselves. This guy is just another priest trying to burn books he finds dirty.
@Leir_Bag yea while he is screwing altar boys and denying any wrong doing. Blame the free availability of assault weapons. Blame Congress for letting ANY bill go into effect that has an "expiration date" like the current middle tax cuts and especially the ban on assault rifles. Bring back real mental health facilities and use them to finish the labotomys the current Congress acts like they have and put the truly sick in a place where they can be cared for and are not going to harm others. Stop blaming video games which are mostly played by 30+ aged men and not kids anyways.
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@Venatorcruiser the problem with the Newtown murders is that this kid stole his mother's guns and used them on her and the school. He had no license. In order to do a true safe license...anyone who wants a gun license needs to have their immediate family checked as well. I know this will irate the Republicans and the NRA but we need to scan deeper than just the surface for gun purchase.
And string up by their balls, anyone who sells guns in gun shows and corners without following existing gun laws.
1 Like That's funny, because the US Homicide Rate fell sharply in the mid 90s and have stayed fairly level since 1999. I wonder what they blamed it on back when the murder rate was double ('71-'91) of what it is now. The ones in charge of the NRA are a bunch of idiot weirdos that will say anything just so they can have their AK47s, M4s... and other assault rifles a normal person doesn't need to own in a developed country
@kb8618 I like how they mentioned "Moral Kombat". Mortal Kombat?? You just picked a name from the stone ages when we last complained about video game violence as a name. No clue.
@kb8618 Yeah because Handguns are nowhere as dangerous as an AK or M4. :roll: You're just as much as a bigot as the NRA.. singling out certain guns as if they are the only guns that cause any damage. :roll:
Violent games did it! nevermind the prozac...my rich business partners in corporate medicine are innocent! it's these gamers and gun owners! Obama cryed, I was moved by him crying so much I think i will hand in my guns now. I can't wait till America is a total 4th reich! Heil OBAMA!
1 Like How I basically understood what he was saying. "They're trying to put more control on guns.. QUICK...BLAME SOMETHING ELSE!"
I don't see how games even come into the picture. It's not like violence suddenly appeared after games showed up...
1 Like Charles Whitman sniped people in the Texas Tower in 1966.
Bonnie and Clyde 1910
The Mob...
There are hundreds more incidents of violence that took place well before games existed.
and how many of these people that condemn 'violent video games' have actually played ANY of them for more than 2 minutes? I'm guessing a few at most. I say burn all the violent books! LOL People have always blamed violence in Minors due to video game violence, violence in movies, music, tv, etc. but honestly dont pass the blame. People do bad things by CHOICE, not because they watched a "bad movie" or played a "bad game." People that can't tell the difference between fantasy and real life will get these "evil ideas" from any form of media, including the news, and even history books.
2 Like "We must blame them and cause a fuss before somebody thinks of blaming us!"
-South Park
3 Like Yes. The dude was insane. Clearly he wouldn't have done what he did regardless of if he played video games or not. What a bunch of idiots. They're just looking for something "easy" to blame all the shit on.
4 Like Yes, let's ban video games, movies and music and give more guns to the people. Idiots.
1 Like With all of the focus on the NRA, it is clearly time to refuse to take responsibility and blame someone else, no matter how ridiculous.
1 Like @Joeasdfghjkl you missed what i said. I said EASY access to guns -i don't intend to deny people guns-hunting is a useful wildlife management tool for certain animals with no predators (deer due to humans killing or removing predators) I don't like how EASY it is to get a gun. the problem is that anyone can get a gun. Gun shows and other loop holes allow people who shouldn't be able to purchase a fire arm to get one. There is a problem and YES im scared ANY person mental unstable or amoral can get a gun and just decide to kill a person -that person might not even know them remember those sniper incidents. They just pick a person and they die no reason they die because thats was a gun gives some one the power to kill some one quickly and easily form a distance making it easy to do. Also the biggest problem in the country is hand guns something you DO NOT NEED to hunt with and are designed to be used against other humans. How would you feel is someone you love was shot and killed by someone just because lack gun laws allowed them to get a gun and shoot them. I think anyone who wants a gun needs to be checked out by people who can determine their state of mind or at the least give them proper training in gun use and security -locking up a gun so some idiot can't get it is an important step. Also some way to limit hand gun ammo should be looked into. I just want less danger in the world and don't claim i have nothing to be scared of this is the real danger in this world people not doing what is expected of them and allowing crap like this to happen then trying to pass the buck to a scape goat.
2 Like @Max42 @Joeasdfghjkl This post is full of misinformation. You need to do your research, and not write just generalized, inaccurate statements. I can recognize "you want less danger in the world," but the world has been dangerous for thousands and thousands of years. What makes you think we can change that? I always hear "We live in Modern Times, in a Developed Society," but so did the Egyptians, and the Greeks, and the Romans. At the time, they were all Modern. We are only as modern as the period we live in.
You cannot legislate your way out of tragedy, nor can you legislate your way into safety. What YOU need to recognize, is THE PEOPLE, THE CITIZENS have MORE RIGHTS than the GOVERNMENT. This is an unconditional philosophy for the United States, and if you read your history books, if you do your research, you'll find out why. I don't know how old you are, but I can tell you're young. Keep an open mind, recognize the best predictor of future behavior, is past behavior, and read some of John Adams and Abraham Lincoln. Read, read, read. Do not be so quick to give up your rights, because you're giving up mine as well.
this is bull. his comment clearly show that he want to avoid being blamed for legalizing guns. he just clearly want more people to buy more guns.
if you afraid of shooting accident, then why you give kids access to the guns in the first place? just stop/prevent gun access to kids. then no more stupid kids that cannot distinguish games and real life will shoot other kids in kindergarten
/school. if in case kid got access to the guns cuz bad parenting, then dont give the gun license to the parent.
@bukankhadam Wayne LaPierre didn't "legalize guns," moron. Why do you assume kids have access to guns? The only time a child has access to a gun, is when an older sibling or adult in the family has access to a gun. 9/10 parents teach their kids to use guns safely, carefully, and respectfully -- bad parents, do not. Gun licensing also means that owning a firearm is a privilege, it is not, it is a RIGHT.
@bukankhadam @Isilwenightfall @smghottie @eBentl civilian?? Last I checked I was still an active duty soldier in the U.S. Army. Let me guess you're European and you disagree..why am I Not surprised?
@DredWulf @Isilwenightfall @smghottie @eBentl @bukankhadam Bah. Keep all the guns you want. Arguing with civilians which still want to keep guns after the tragedy is futile, utter useless. Keep them for whatever reasons that cross your mind.
What we can do now is just pray there will be no more killing spree involving innocent people again.
hmm. But I think there will be more cases though.
BUT, u guys got guns right? So, you guys can DEFEND yourself properly. No worry then.
Have fun with your guns~
@Isilwenightfall @smghottie @eBentl @bukankhadam because I gave you some insight and a disagreeing opinion I am childish..wow. You are the typical European. Brash, Xenophobic and arrogant. All because you don't understand American history and believe we should change our fundamental right to bear arms to suit the "progressive" European mindset
@DredWulf @Isilwenightfall @smghottie @eBentl @bukankhadam
Yeah, whatever.
Go on and "defy", if that makes you feel cool and awesome and stuff.
Kinda childish (but typical American indeed), but who am I to judge?
@Isilwenightfall @smghottie @eBentl @bukankhadam Really depending on what part of Europe you're from, the govt must be doing a fine job...and if you were born at around my time...you could have been in a communist repressive regime without the means to defend yourself not too long ago...but hey trust the govt to do everything for you. Guns are fine for those who know how to use them regardless of occupation no different than a sword was fine for a warrior back in the day. You have just proven my point that the European mindset is about submissive control while the americans is about violent defiance.
2 Like @DredWulf @smghottie @eBentl @bukankhadam Wow.
Pretty cool, if only things worked that way. Too bad they don't.
Why the hell, then, do we hear about unstable US civilians gunning down innocent people so frequently?
Guns are fine for soldiers, cops and videogames.
Everyone else is not prepared to use them.
I'm European, and never had the need to fire a gun except in Battlefield.
I'm grateful for that, it seems that the "government" is doing its job, here.
1 Like @smghottie @eBentl @bukankhadam with the stream of comments one which I have provided it's a bunch of europeans who don't understand nor care about our fundamental right to bear arms...because their mindset is "oh we're used to the government, telling us what to do" While our founding fathers...pretty much summed it up with Defiance of that mindset. I don't believe that the police or the Feds should be the only ones with weapons..History has taught us better...I am a soldier in the U.S. Army, if shit ever went downhill or another civil war or anything of a catastrophic nature, it would be nice that a civilian who can defend himself doesn't have to rely on us completely to get what he needs to get done.
1 Like @eBentl @smghottie @bukankhadam It is already a right provided to us through the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I'm not going to waste my time. Go read about the Revolutionary War. Tell me about it. Why did we break away from England? Do your History homework. Don't be a sheep listening to mass media and their propaganda. That's all I'll say.
I'll already said this once, but I'll say it again. Please! Go onto NRA's face book page and leave a comment. Let them know they are making a lot of enemies by taking this course of action. And please! Don't go just write a bunch of curse words. If you act like a brain damaged 5 year old they wont take your comment seriously, it will actually give them more fuel. But please go leave a comment. Show them they are alienating an entire generation. Let them know that just because they are feeling the heat, it doesn't give them the right to try an push their problems onto another medium. Let them know you see right through their little schema. Be polite and your words stand a much better chance of being heard. You can also go one step further and mail them. Here is their mailing address. National Rifle Association of America 11250 Waples Mill Road Fairfax, VA 22030
I have to agree, Mortal Kombat is to blame here, I mean without it, the shooter would never of had the idea to freeze the kids in place then throw a spear at them shouting "GET OVER HERE", a lot of those kids lives could've been saved if it wasn't for Mortal Kombat. Ban it immediately!!
@residude They probably should have mentioned Postal. Funny how the most obvious games are the most never mentioned and a possible attribution to real world violence. In Running with Scissors defense, their games are just a depiction of reality... Art imitating life, not Life imitating Art... Where did they get their ideas from, life... The sniper in the texas tower Charles Whitman shot at people in 1966 well before games were even a contemplation... Why blame games when it the humans that are the problem?
WTF... How about Good Mental Health options, getting rid of stigma's associated with them, and noticing before had, when people have a proclivity to dissociation conduct or behavior before actual violence happens? Has anyone, anywhere pointed to that good mental health care should take care of such issues, and identify them before they happen? As opposed to pointing the finger to Violence, and depictions of them, and being the blame for all? Lets please get things right and pointed to the true problems, people, and opposed to external Vices and scapegoats. Sure its easier to blame the gun, then the person behind it, but so long as we keep this kind of thinking, we all lose!
Republican Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander says games more problematic than weapons because "they affect people."
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