So, here in America it has been an ongoing debate whether or not we need better gun control laws. In addition to the gun control laws our government has been trying to find the contributing factors to gun violence. For the most part I have kept my peace about my opinions on the internet, and left them at home to annoy my parents or other members of my family that think otherwise. But I was recently on Youtube, and one of my favorite gamers had some of his footage featured on CNN. Which honestly wasn't good publicity. He was playing Grand Theft Auto which has been riddled with complaints by parents explaining how it is causing their children to become more violent. CNN was trying to make a point by saying that video games directly causing people to go to their malls/schools and kill people. Senator Chuck Grassley (R) said "There are too many video games that celebrate in the mass killings of innocent people. Games that in despite of industry self regulation can find their way into the hands of our children." CNN states that this opinion mirrors the NRA.
The Youtuber that I watch, plays a lot of video games. A LOT. He has over 10,000 videos that are mostly video game related and he plays a variety of different games. These go anywhere from Mario to Saint's Row the Third and Call of Duty. He has Pokemon and even Scribblenauts Unlimited. He plays a lot of video games. In response to CNN posting his video on their show he made this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mq4mXSQgPo
In his video he states his opinion on the whole issue an explains that video games may have caused a few instances in which shooters imitated the violence on the screen or thought that the violence looked like a good idea. But he also used himself as an example that proves that he is an outstanding member of society he has never been in any trouble and he has been playing violent video games since he was little. In part his success comes from an understanding that video games are fake and reality is reality and shooting someone in a video game is fake and for entertainment, but in reality if you shoot someone it is wrong and you will go to jail for a long time. Another reason was that his parents made sure that he knew the difference and monitored his gaming habits as a child. I also know several gamers in real life that have been playing violent video games since they were kids, including myself, and we are perfectly fine. The fact that the media and the government and even the NRA are blaming video games as a major factor for gun violence is ridiculous to me and it seems like they are avoiding the main issue which most of us "Normal" people can see a mile away.
I have noticed that every shooter that has been showcased this year have had some sort of mental issue. Whether they were soldiers who had a mental break, or a person who has had problems since they were children they all suffered from mental health issues.
Here in America I feel that even though our treatment of people with mental issues has gotten better within the last 50 years it is still seen as a stigma in this country. We avoid the issue like the plague, and we tend to ignore that there is a problem. Even people with Depression tend to avoid mentioning their condition because they are afraid others will see them as weak, or tell them to get over their problems, like they are in control. My main point is that instead of blaming violent video games for all the problems that we are having with school shootings and the mass murders of people within our country we need to try to and address the main issues. The main issue being mental health and trying to make it so that we do not see it as a stigma so that we can attempt to help those who suffer from these problems.
If we actually focused on mental health and not these stupid ideas that video games and other entertainment media like T.V, movies and music are the main problems we could have a society that is more protected from people who want to do harm to others and we would have a society that is more understanding of these people who do have issues. Focusing on mental health would also help those of us who suffer from depression feel more at ease with our issues and actually talk to others about our problems instead of it wearing us down until we harm ourselves and possibly others.
I know the media and the government has also been focusing on Gun control laws as well as video games and entertainment media. I have not focused on this as being a main issue because for the most part legitimate gun owners are highly responsible and we know the difference between a life and death situation. We do not show off our guns nor do we flash them or use them irresponsibly. We are very careful. The one thing I do agree with is the regulation of assault rifles. The purpose of an assault rifle is to kill other people. They are used almost exclusively for the military and the first usage of an assault rifle was in war. There is no need for a civilian to own an assault rifle. My understanding is that some people use them for hunting which is ridiculous (in my opinion as a person who owns hunting rifles). I just see no reason for a civilian to own an assault rifle, period. Other countries that allow their citizens to own handguns, hunting rifles and shotguns but not assault rifles seem to have less overall gun violence than the US.
This information speaks volumes to me and we still have our right to bear arms. I know that this is a controversial subject so I would like to say that this is my opinion and I do not see myself changing my mind, so do not even bother trying to sway me the other way. But feel free to post your own opinion in the comment section below. Try not to get into fight about it with others though, a war based on opinion isn't worth the effort.
