U.S. Senator Says Videogames Are Worse Than Guns

[AbsoluteVirtue18]

I kind of miss the days when they blamed everything on rock music.

Needless to say, would you really expect anything less from a prominent member of the NRA? He could get shot in gut by a gun he helped sell to a paranoid schizophrenic and he would blame it on illegal immigrants or something.

 

[revjay]

In related news, a man walked into a crowded mall and really annoyed the shit out of like ten people when he started whipping video game discs at them. One man was heard to say, 'Dude hit me in the side of the head, I dropped my frappucino!" Lawyers were on hand to comfort the abused crowd and reports say the litigation will total in the billions of dollars when all is said and done.

Oh wow... am I fucked up for laughing at that?

A lot of good coffee was ruined that day so yeah it's pretty bad you found pleasure in that.

 

[Lovely Mixture]

Videogames: Now worse than guns, cocaine, communism, and Hitler!

 

[spartan231490]

U.S. Senator Says Videogames Are Worse Than Guns

​

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander claims that videogames pose a greater threat to American society than guns.

If you ever wondered why so many high-level discussions about gun violence in the U.S. seem to end up talking about videogames, here's a brief snippet of insight courtesy of MSNBC. When asked by The Daily Rundown host Chuck Todd about support for a bill requiring universal background checks on gun buyers, Senator Alexander made a remarkable and completely unrelated statement about the dangers of games.

"I think videogames [sic] is a bigger problem than guns, because videogames affect people," he said. "But the First Amendment limits what we can do about videogames and the Second Amendment to the Constitution limits what we can do about guns."

There's really not much more to say; the man's words speak for themselves. He clearly has an agenda that he's determined to push, but the implication that guns don't affect people, or that an entertainment medium is somehow more dangerous than unfettered access to semi-automatic rifles, is beyond outrageous. It's not necessarily surprising, however; as Credo Action [http://www.polygon.com/2013/1/30/3933424/video-games-a-bigger-problem-than-guns-says-us-senator-lamar-alexander] lists Alexander as one of the National Rifle Association's "A team" of senators that offers "unqualified support" to the NRA.

Source: Daily Kos [http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/30/1183287/-U-S-Senator-Lamar-Alexander-Guns-don-t-kill-people-video-games-do]


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He's got a point. There are studies showing that media violence desensitizes you to real violence, and while I don't think that means it makes people more violent themselves, at least they have studies supporting the assertion that violent media is bad.

On the other hand, the vast majority of studies done into guns and gun control show that higher rates of gun ownership are, if anything, safer for a populace, and that gun control laws don't effect crime rates. Science says, violent media is more dangerous than gun ownership. Just saying.

 

[spartan231490]

I think getting shot in the face affects people more than playing video games.

As horrible as it is, I had a good laugh at this. I can imagine someone saying this with a deadpan expression.

So, while the amount of people playing games is somewhere in the high millions, can we expect a good million cases of mass killings, Mister Republican? Meanwhile, how about you actually answer the question you were given, rather than changing the subject to something, I can assure you, is completely unrelated. But then, we disagree on a lot of things, don't we?

There are just as many gun owners in the US as gamers. If you want to apply that logic to games you also have to apply to gun owners. In fact, there are probably more gun owners than people who play M rated games.

 

[DataSnake]

Which part of the US Constitution protects Freedom of Stupidity? There must be one because I'm not sure how someone this dumb could rise to the position of a Senator. Oh, he's a Republican.

Well, nothing in the Constitution. On the other hand, the Declaration of Independence mentions an inalienable right to "pursuit of happiness", and as we all know, ignorance is bliss. Thus, transitively, the Declaration of Independence states that we have a right to pursue ignorance.

 

[Kaiser6012]

On the other hand, the vast majority of studies done into guns and gun control show that higher rates of gun ownership are, if anything, safer for a populace, and that gun control laws don't effect crime rates. Science says, violent media is more dangerous than gun ownership. Just saying.

Might I ask for a source on that? I can only speak from personal knowledge (which may be a bit spotty, I admit), but a lot of other nations that have heightened gun control haven't had the sort of killing sprees that have happened recently in the U.S.A. My home, Australia, hasn't had any (again, my memory might be a little patchy) since the Port Arthur tragedy that brought gun control into public light (incidentally, for those looking for more info on the Port Arthur massacre, link to Wikipedia here [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur_massacre_(Australia)]. It's not the best, but it's late and there's more you can find through the references on Wikipedia, I'm sure).

EDIT: Forgot about the attacks in Oslo. Not sure whether to count them or not, since the first was a car bomb and the second was performed with a pistol, which is legal (if requiring licensing) in most countries. I'll go with yes on this one, simply due to the high casualties caused by Breivik.

OT: Y'know, all this talk of gun control in the U.S. is kinda wearing a little thin. I'd like to hear from some people who:
A) Live in the States, and
B) Own a firearm

What sort of regulatory action does the government/police require of you to ensure safe ownership of said weapon? Do you have to keep it locked up, do you have to keep it secret, what? I assume you just can't have a 9mm sitting on a kitchen table somewhere with a bullet in the chamber, right?

...right? I mean, all this talk about no gun control is just... incomprehensible is probably the best word. I cannot concieve that there is absolutely no regulation on this sort of thing. So I want to hear from actual gun owners - what do you have to do to not break any laws regarding keeping X firearm in your house? What's the actual, feet on the ground truth for those of us who don't live in the States?

 

[synobal]

It's a distraction tactic, these guys get paid by the gun industry (not that much honestly) to go "hey look over there!" he knows video games aren't the problem. He knows that, but if he goes out and says it well he won't get more money from the gun industry #1 and #2 he risks a guy who is even more right of him running against him in the next election and running his comments in some misleading and generally dishonest TV ad.

"Senator X wants to steal all your guns and give your kids porn, watch now as he admits it!" etc.

 

[FoolKiller]

He's right though, those edges of the discs, they can kill a man!
Not to mention the lethal side effects of the plastic wrapper.

At least be creative. Lock you in a room and melt the plastic case. The toxic fumes will do you in.

 

[Gearhead mk2]

Ok, American Escapists, I have a question for you that I've been wondering about since George W Bush got in office: Why do you keep on letting people that would lose an IQ test to a candy bracelet and a shovel get into your goverment?

 

[Something Amyss]

I love being a republican on this website. I get to see all the funny generalizations that Obama-nazis make about republicans. ( see what I did there? Generalizations are great!). I registered republican because 1) I like guns. Lots of guns. Big guns. 2) because I can vote in primaries and have a miniscule chance of keeping a blubbering idiot out of the elections (not all of us are homophobic, xenophobic, believe the world was created 6000 years ago, or stupid).

1 and 2 seem largely at odds with one another.

 

[Something Amyss]

Videogames: Now worse than guns, cocaine, communism, and Hitler!

As it should be, honestly.

Ok, American Escapists, I have a question for you that I've been wondering about since George W Bush got in office: Why do you keep on letting people that would lose an IQ test to a candy bracelet and a shovel get into your goverment?

Well, for one thing, we hate politics. For another, we hate intellectuals.

I'm not sure what else to tell you, but those should be enough.

 

[Kuredan]

You can get idiots in office because it's one of the inherent drawbacks of a democracy. Why it keeps on happening I can only ascribe to laziness, apathy, and general lack of awareness on the part of the American people. It's hard to worry about the bigger social and ethical questions of life when you have to work two jobs just to make the ends meet. Introspection is the luxury of the leisure class. The only time this permeates down to the working classes is when tragedy strikes and it becomes a glut of media exposure. At that point popular opinion is a reflection of the media they draw their information from. For good or for ill, this is largely forgotten by election time and people will fall back into predictable patterns when they vote. They will vote how they have always voted, how their parents have voted, the opposite of what their parents voted, whatever satisfies their religious, economic, or social ideas, along "party" lines regardless of the issue, or out of sheer spite. That is assuming they vote at all.

 

[Jadak]

Everytime I see a story like this I think: Thank god that in 30 years crap like this will cease to be spewed from the mouths of our leaders.

Huh? So stupidity is set to be eradicated by 2043? How's that again?

Not stupidity neccessarily, but all the old right wing nutjobs will be long dead by then and more of today's youth/people will be in their positions instead.

While it may indeed get better, it might not. I think you'll be surprised by how many of today's youth turn out just as nutty. Don't forget, the last generation wasn't the first to do stupid shit, and they're likely not going to be the last

 

[cidbahamut]

Ok, American Escapists, I have a question for you that I've been wondering about since George W Bush got in office: Why do you keep on letting people that would lose an IQ test to a candy bracelet and a shovel get into your goverment?

Part of the problem is a lack of non-crazy candidates to vote for. The only way I know to prevent crazy people from getting into office is to vote for non-crazy people and I do so when I can, but there are still crazy people getting into government. I don't know how to stop it.
=(

 

[Sordin]

Unless it has been posted already this is my response.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0&list=FLsTRfvLPwKMQ28IBvKdlIWA

 

[HobbyJim]

Crap! NRA and republicans are getting a bad rap for sticking up for guns. Diversionary tactics!! Diversionary tactics!!

 

[Spinozaad]

Pacman taught me to pop pills, listen to repetitive electronic music and run away from ghosts. So this man has my vote, if I were allowed to vote in the USA.

 

[AldUK]

Whenever I see this nonsense I can only think of The Young Turks and how Cenk destroys these idiots on a daily basis.

You want to see some hypocrisy from these pro-gun nutjobs taken apart?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWHlkhUfPIU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu6iq9-XFjs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GrgjaYQeiA

Fuck Republicans. Fuck the NRA. Fuck ignorant old bastards who don't understand a damn thing about the world around them.

Edit: Cenk actually covered this story specifically ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFPWzLSHt0g

 

[Riddle78]

Ugh.

I literally want to scream.

What he says: "I hate games"
What he means: "I hate what is topical so as to deflect people from looking at mah guns!"

A game never killed someone.
Any time a person COMPLAINS about the 1st amendment limiting what they can do its scary. They are probably going to do something like the Hays Code for games if they can.

Please let my own Country NOT DO THAT. God I may claim Canadian leaders are nuts but NOT that nuts.

"We must avoid do anything practical!"
I wonder if the Founding Fathers weep when they see what their nation has become.

Completely off topic question,but how are Canadian politicians crazy?

More on topic,maybe the good senator here needs to think less about his property and more about how WOEFULLY he misrepresents his constituents. This is coming from someone who lives in Toronto.