It has not yet been two weeks since Adam Lanza used two handguns and an assault rifle to kill 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.
A week later, Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association implicated violent video games - “a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells and stows violence against its own people†- for helping to incite Sandy Hook and other mass attacks.
The company Electronic Arts has created a Web site that promotes the manufacturers of the guns, knives and combat-style gear depicted in the latest version of its top-selling game, Medal of Honor Warfighter, as our colleagues Barry Meier and Andrew Martin reported in The New York Times.
“Among the video game giant's marketing partners on the Web site were the McM illan Group, the maker of a high-powered sniper's rifle, and Magpul, which sells high-capacity magazines and other accessories for assault-style weapons.â€
On the site's home page, the logos of various gun and equipment manufacturers are displayed under the headline “Authentic Games. Authentic Brands.†The game is rated M, for mature, and carries warnings about “blood, intense violence and strong language.â€
Two other brief excerpts from Barry and Andrew's article:
While studies have found no connection between video games and gun violence, the case of Medal of Honor Warfighter illustrates how the firearms and video game industries have quietly forged a mutually beneficial marketing relationship.â€
Many of the same producers of firearms and related equipment are also financial backers of the N.R.A. McMillan, for example, is a corporate donor to the group, and Magpul rece ntly joined forces with it in a product giveaway featured on Facebook. The gun group also lists Glock, Browning and Remington as corporate sponsors.
As the Rendezvous editor Marcus Mabry recently reported, Mr. LaPierre of the N.R.A. found no fault with gun manufacturers but instead blamed other factors for violent behavior, notably video games “with names like Bulletstorm, Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat and Splatterhouse.â€
“And here's one: It's called Kindergarten Killers,†Mr. LaPierre told a crowded news conference. “It's been online for 10 years.â€
He also condemned violent music videos and films as “the filthiest form of pornography,†and he assailed media conglomerates for “bring ing an even more toxic mix of reckless behavior and criminal cruelty right into our homes, every minute, every day, every hour of every single year.â€
What's your take? Do you think violent games and films incite actual violence, particularly gun attacks like Sandy Hook? Or do those dots not connect? What's your view on kids being allowed to play violent video games and watch bloody movies? Have you ever given these games or DVDs to children as holiday gifts? In light of Sandy Hook, are you perhaps re-thinking such presents? In short, do you agree with Mr. LaPierre and the N.R.A.?
