There
are many violent videogames out there.
Do you know what your child is playing late at night in his room? How much time is your son spending playing games? I know, I know, there have been studies…videogames
in and of themselves are not a bad thing.
Many a geek relaxes after a long day at work or school by playing games.
There
are youngsters who suffer from mental illnesses like depression, bi-polar
disorder, schizophrenia and OCD. Many of
these children are prescribed medication to help manage these illnesses. A diagnosis of mental illness doesn’t mean
that child is going to be violent. Some
of the medications come with heavy warnings on the label. Zoloft carries a risk of suicidal thoughts,
especially in children. Prozac is
another drug that can induce suicidal thoughts.
Many young people who are prescribed anti-depressants or anti-psychotic
medications do well with them and are able to live normal lives. But a young person taking an anti-psychotic
medication or two might start experimenting with alcohol or recreational drugs
which could alter the helpful effects of the medication. What if a patient suddenly quits taking his
medication altogether without the knowledge of his parents or doctor? Quitting some medications cold-turkey can
result in relapse of the mental illness, often with worse symptoms and
behaviors than the original illness.
What happens when you have a young person with
some sort of mental illness (maybe even an undiagnosed one) and a combination
of some of the factors that exacerbates the illness, who sees images of
Oscar-winning actors holding weapons and shooting things up as a hero, or
spends many hours on his computer killing lots of people in some virtual world? Can a young man have trouble distinguishing
what goes on in a virtual world of a movie or game and the real world? Does he understand what he’s doing when he
packs up massive weapons and heads out to do what he’s going to do?
We’ve
had some terrible tragedies recently involving young men with guns. Innocent people have been killed and numerous
families’ lives changed forever. Some
government officials have suggested stricter laws and even a ban on all
firearms. Some think more gun-free zones
are the answer. Others think if more
citizens carried concealed weapons it would deter these shootings. What about having armed guards at schools
(like the elite school our recent presidents have enrolled their children
in)? Maybe the teachers and staff could
be trained to carry weapons was another suggestion.
Suddenly,
all gun owners and gun enthusiasts have become the villains. A newspaper in New York, The Journal News,
just published an article on 44,000 registered gun owners in two counties
complete with names and addresses of where they lived. There’s been quite a backlash against the
paper. Some have complained that now the
criminals know which houses to break into - the ones without the guns.
What
about Hollywood? The industry has helped
glorify guns and violence. The actors
wielding their assault weapons on the big screen are making millions of dollars
looking like badasses to our young people.
Will lawmakers try to ban the filming of violent movies like the ones I
saw posters for at the theater? Will any
of the actors come out with public service announcements condemning the
real-life use of guns against innocent people?
Someone commenting on an article I read brought up an interesting point that a few of these mass shootings may have occurred in so-called “gun-free zones”. That’s something worth looking into. Guns exist. Criminals will find access to them ban or no ban. They already do.
Look, there’s no one simple action that is going
to eradicate these terrible killings.
People want immediate action taken to prevent our nation from losing any
more innocent men, women and children. That’s
understandable. We feel helpless, sad,
sickened about what’s happened. However,
we need to examine all the factors and variables involved in each situation in
order to prevent further tragedies. Not
every young person with access to firearms is going to go out and commit a mass
murder-suicide. Not every child with a
mental or emotional illness is going to hurt other people. We need to discover what these shooters in
the 15 years since Columbine had in common, to help identify people who may be
at risk of potentially doing something horrendous. Someone commenting on an article I read brought up an interesting point that a few of these mass shootings may have occurred in so-called “gun-free zones”. That’s something worth looking into. Guns exist. Criminals will find access to them ban or no ban. They already do.
*Update* I am including this recent video of Hollywood Celebs making a public service announcement condemning gun violence and demanding a plan to end it. It wasn't the kind of public announcement I was hoping for. The video creator found clips of the celebrities themselves using big guns in movies or tv. The creator of this video gets it, even though his language is a little harsh. Instead of taking any responsibility for making blood and guts and murder look cool, these actors who have made millions off of us, are telling us we need to demand gun control. How about we demand they stop making these violent movies and television shows. How about they denounce their participation in violent movies. Ha, don't think that'll ever happen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxRlpRcorEU
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