In response to two mass shootings in the country over the weekend, President T***p held a press conference on Monday in which he cited violent video games as the primary cause of gun violence in America.
“We must stop the glorification of violence in our society,” he stated. “This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace.”
“It is too easy today for a troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence.”
The link between violent video games and mass shootings was first thrust into the spotlight after the 1999 Columbine shooting. Reports used the fact that the shooters frequently played a video game called Doom as the catalyst for the attack.
At the time, it was important that national press gave meaning and reasoning to the attack in order to diminish country-wide panic over what seemed like an act without a cause.
However, a multitude of studies since then have found no substantial evidence linking violent video games to mass shootings.
A 2012 Washington Post study including ten different countries found no link between violent games and gun violence whatsoever.
“Looking at the world’s 10 largest video game markets yields no evident, statistical correlation between video game consumption and gun-related killings,” the study states.
Regardless of the evidence to the contrary, a number of media outlets took T***p’s claims and ran with them.
When Fox News did their segment on the El Paso and Dayton massacres over the weekend, video games were a frequent topic of discussion.
“We’ve always had guns, always had evil, but I see a video game industry that teaches young people to kill,” said Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Fox & Friends .
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy then regurgitated a similar claim.
“I’ve always felt that are a problem for future generations and others,” McCarthy said. “We’ve watched from studies, shown before, what it does to individuals, and you look at these photos of how it took place, you can see the actions within video games and others.”
T***p also cited social media, white supremacy, and mental illness as potential factors in causing mass shootings.
Within the entire press conference, there was no mention of stricter gun laws, easy gun access, or gun control of any kind.
Watch the press conference for yourself.
Do you think that T***p’s remarks regarding the shootings properly addressed the issue?
h/t: Huffington Post
Last Updated on August 6, 2019 by Sydney Brooman