April 28, 2007
As public officials attempt to sort out the root causes of the Virginia Tech massacre, it seems clear from their comments that violent games will get a long look, along with gun control and mental health issues.As reported by the Associated Press, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman (R, left) and U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt spoke about the VTU shooting at a Friday news conference. Said the Governor:
For all of us, it was a wake-up call. One could blame guns. One could blame access to the media. One could blame video games.
Utah, of course, experienced its own deadly shooting event earlier this year when 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic killed four people at a Salt Lake City Mall before being shot to death by police officers. Investigators said they recovered no video games from Talovic's residence
Utah NPR affiliate KCPW reports Leavitt as saying:
Inevitably we'll have conversation about guns. We have video games and the media and its impact. Inevitably we'll hear conversations about mental health...
Leavitt, who appeared on Meet the Press last Sunday to discuss the Virginia Tech rampage with host Tim Russert, described the search for causes as "incredibly complex."
President Bush has asked his advisors for a report on the issue within 30 days.
Comments
Re: Video Games in the Mix as Utah Guv, Bush Cabinet Member
According to reports, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is investigating Redflex, which operates mobile speed cameras in the USA, for possible violations of federal regulations. The Arizona Department of Public Safety took the allegations seriously enough to order Redflex vans off of state highways.
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Mike lou
Utah Drug Treatment
mario
so howthe day's my mario brother
Re: Video Games in the Mix as Utah Guv, Bush Cabinet Member
@hayabusa75
wtf. a private island. Yo better let me in before i turn go homicidal.
We live in a society. We have laws. It is your own personal responsibility not to break those laws. If you do, you are punished. A small portion of society are deemed not responsible for their own actions, but everyone else is assumed to be and that is how we live.
If you want to get your kicks by gunning down innocents in Grand Theft Auto 23:50/7 (with ten minute power naps) then by all means go ahead and do so. It is still your responsibility not to point a real gun at another person and pull the trigger. If you do you've broken the law, and have done so either willingly or without being aware of the consequences of your actions. You're either a killer or you're mad, in shorter words.
Why video games? Well just because one of the most vocal video game opponents is a raving lunatic, that doesn't mean that congress can just brush it off as nothing. It's like a:
"This guy's totally wacko and has a stick up his butt, but CRAP, what if he's right? Well we better look at it just to cover all the bases. Of course, there's also violent music, TV, movies, and I think it's cool to cover books in there too. Better check them all out."
Just because they investigate doesn't mean that video games will be congress' target. Who knows, they may decide that video games really aren't that bad as some people are saying. They may also find that mental health problems and easy access to guns may be more of a problem than what's in the media.
So only time will tell on this one.
~Otaku-Man
"One could blame access to the media. One could blame video games."
This is exactly what I mean. Saying that is akin to saying
"One could blame all kinds of fish. One could blame salmon"
or "One could blame the 4 members of the Beatles. One could blame Ringo Starr".
You should not be allowed comment or seek to blame or restrict anything that you do not understand.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
I mean, it's like people getting together wondering what men like, or women like, or people of this racial group or that racial group like, or any specifc group likes.
Instead of stereotyping and getting their agenda on, maybe if they first looked at Cho's life and ALL the events that led him down his path, then they would understand why -Cho- commited his act, even just a tiny bit. Of course, that is extremely difficult because Cho isolated himself, the family itself tended to be isolated, and Cho, the one who truly knows why he did such a thing, is dead.
But instead, we want to stereotype. We want to compare only select events and try to compare him to all other individuals who commit such acts. We want to seek reasons to push personal, religious, and/or political agendas. The last thing we want to consider is that each individual had unique lives, even if they were copycats, and each life was complex and had a myriad of complex events throughout their lives that took them down the path they ended up on.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
While it is nice they say up front you have to be insane or have some other condition, I am still baffled they conclude videogames are a big enough problem to put it in the same group as guns and insanity. If you give a psycopath a gun he might shoot someone. If you give a psycopath a Wii he might kick your butt plaing boxing. Afterwards he might shoot you though. It's definately a possibility. (ignore my ramblings. I just woke up.)
well the mental health system does have some fall in this one, along with the shooter himself. they could and SHOULD have done something back when he was found to be a threat in court. even if he refused help they should have kept tabs on him.
The bottom line is that people that go on killing sprees are screwed up in the head. Whether Cho bought guns and killed a bunch of people, or grabbed a knife and killed just the first two people, or bought a gun and killed just himself is immaterial. All three cases are unacceptable.
The discussion needs to be on what was wrong with Cho, and how we can identify and do something about/for others like him in the future before they harm themselves or others.
A laudible goal, but as with all ideals, easier said than done...
The reports of the Cho incident are pretty clear in suggesting that people were afraid of him and thought something should have been done, but that is an entirely different kettle of fish. Dealing with potential criminals (Cho) is very different to trying to stop innocent people from becoming potential criminals (little Johnny playing Counter-Strike).
of course, but then again, it might just be that the killer did this for national media attention, which all the networks have gladly been giving him...
Guns dont kill People! Apes with guns Kill People
Unless they say "Oh yeah, Doom and Mario made him insane", I doubt they're pointing their fingers at games.
(That was sarcasm. I love HP and have nothing against Islam)
And because of the actions of one lone nut, we all become a little less free.
why not the FCC has been itching to ban things on non over air broadcasting increasing the size of itself like any good lil goverment orginisation, they are merely thinking of the bottom line who cares about free speech and such.
He was crazy. There, case solved.
@Black Manta
Yeah, I could see them trying to use this.
April 28th, 2007 at 8:28 am
why can’t we blame the shooter, instead?
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cause it dosent win you votes
Nope, that's why I'm saving up to buy my own private island. The only people allowed on it will be me and Kate Beckinsale.
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Re: Gun The Man Down
A Gun The Man Down Two years into Gunsmoke James Arness took time out of his busy schedule to star in the medium-budget western Arizona Mission.Trading in his white hat for a black one Arness plays a bandit. He and partners Robert J. Wilke and Don Megowan pull off a robbery; the partners then vamoose with the loot leaving Big Jim empty-handed and seriously wounded. He is also betrayed by his lady friend Angie Dickinson.When Arness finally catches up with his former chums he decides to "psych" them out rather than fill them full of lead right off the bat.
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Jbsjohn