In the past few days, debates over gun control have raged harder than ever as the nation grieves along with Newtown, Connecticut, and the question of whether or not violence in movies and video games is once again at the forefront of many discussions. While everyone seems to have a clear-cut opinion on what needs to happen regarding gun control laws, some are torn on the issue of violence in entertainment and how it affects young people. Actor Samuel L. Jackson, however, says it’s more a question of how children are being raised now and what they have access to.
“I don’t think movies or video games have anything to do with it. … I don’t think it’s about more gun control. I grew up in the South with guns everywhere and we never shot anyone. This (shooting) is about people who aren’t taught the value of life. … We need to stop deranged people from getting access to guns,” he told the L.A. Times.
Since the horrific shootings on Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School, investigators have been trying to find information stored on shooter Adam Lanza’s personal hard drive, but because he destroyed it, they say they’re not having any luck retrieving data. Unfortunately, we may never know what he might have been doing the morning he killed his mother, 20 children, six school faculty members, and himself, although many of those closest to his family say he spent a lot of his time on the computer playing video games.