Samson
Póg Mo Thóin
DECLINE?
But How? We have not repealed the 2nd amendment.
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That question lies at the heart of the ongoing debate over gun control, mental health and the effect of violent media on our society. Mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., and elsewhere have brought renewed attention to the issue of who is responsible when a young adult with no history of violence chooses to open fire on innocent people.
Eager to deflect a storm of negative headlines, some gun rights advocates have pointed a finger at video games, movies and other sources of violent images. A similar debate took place after the 1999 Columbine shootings, but the current national conversation surrounding media violence follows a string of particularly violent shootings, climaxing in the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December. The level of outrage following that incident has provided fodder to those concerned about the long-term effects of violent media on children, particularly as video games become more realistic with advances in technology.
The gun lobby found a sympathetic ear in Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., who was quick to blame video games such as Grand Theft Auto for glorifying violent crimes. He was joined by several other lawmakers, including Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. President Barack Obama in January called for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to invest $10 million in studying the effect of violent video games and movies, among other areas, highlighting the broad public concern over the issue. But proving a correlation between exposure to violent media images and actual violence is a difficult task at best, especially at a time when children are constantly exposed to violent images on the news and via the Internet. The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement on the issue in 2009, arguing that extensive research shows that exposure to media violence can result in aggressive behavior in children. In one study, 98 percent of the pediatricians surveyed believed violent images affect childrens aggression.
The entertainment and video game industries, however, emphasize other studies that find no connection between exposure to violent images and actual violence, and researchers have come to widely differing conclusions depending on their subjects and methodologies. Critics also note that violent crime in the United States has dropped significantly over the past 20 years, even as media exposure has risen exponentially. There has been an assertion made ... that our culture is more violent, that there is more violence in our daily lives. And that just simply is not true, said Simon Rosenberg, president of the Washington think tank NDN, which has accepted funding from the video game industry.
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Culture matters, forensic psychiatrist Michael Welner said, especially when it comes to understanding what is in the minds of mass shooters. The House-sponsored forum focused on the role of mental illness in mass shootings like the one last December at a school in Newtown, Conn., where 26 people died, including 20 children, who were killed by a lone gunman.
Welner said that popular culture matters to mental illness in the same way culture can influence physical well-being. We now have a national imperative against obesity because weve understood that eating habits have some impact on actual physical illness, he said.
But I will tell you, though, our fascination now -- indoctrination of a culture of young people with violence through entertainment media that are polluting the culture of this United States -- has to be dealt with the same way we dealt with the tobacco industry.
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DECLINE?
But How? We have not repealed the 2nd amendment.
More people and more guns yet we're seeing a decline? That cant be right......
More people and more guns yet we're seeing a decline? That cant be right......
First our population is aging which tends to reduce crime
Secondly we have 2 million in prison which probably reduced street crime somewhat
Third 55 million abortions in the 50 years or so has probably eliminated some of the problem, too (a derivative of the demographis issue, admittedly)
More people and more guns yet we're seeing a decline? That cant be right......
First our population is aging which tends to reduce crime
Secondly we have 2 million in prison which probably reduced street crime somewhat
Third 55 million abortions in the 50 years or so has probably eliminated some of the problem, too (a derivative of the demographis issue, admittedly)
More people and more guns yet we're seeing a decline? That cant be right......
First our population is aging which tends to reduce crime
Secondly we have 2 million in prison which probably reduced street crime somewhat
Third 55 million abortions in the 50 years or so has probably eliminated some of the problem, too (a derivative of the demographis issue, admittedly)
More people and more guns yet we're seeing a decline? That cant be right......
First our population is aging which tends to reduce crime
Secondly we have 2 million in prison which probably reduced street crime somewhat
Third 55 million abortions in the 50 years or so has probably eliminated some of the problem, too (a derivative of the demographis issue, admittedly)
The Abortions helped a lot.
Most Crime is committed by 20-somethings
20 years after Roe v Wade crime rate plunged.
Coincidence?
I think not.
This is somewhat ironic, given that those that argue guns are a necessary part of their self defense against the criminal element are often also anti-abortion proponents.