UPDATE: President Obama Urges Study Of Links Between Media And Violence
UPDATE, 1:13 PM: Entertainment organizations are weighing in to support Obama‘s gun initiatives. The MPAA, NAB, NCTA and Independent Film & Television Alliance just issued this joint statement: “We support the President’s goal of reducing gun violence in this country. It is a complex problem, and as we have said, we stand ready to be part of the conversation and welcome further academic examination and consideration on these issues as the President has proposed.”
PREVIOUS, 9:32 AM: The Presidential Order directs the Centers for Disease Control to investigate “the relationship between video games, media images and violence.” The president also asked Congress for the $10M needed to fund research into the impact of the graphic images “on young minds,” he said in an announcement this morning where he unveiled 23 executive actions to reduce gun violence. “We don’t benefit from ignorance. We don’t benefit from not knowing the science of this epidemic of violence.” Other measures in his executive order will make it easier for government agencies to check the background of gun buyers, launch a campaign advocating “safe and responsible” gun ownership, and develop emergency responses for schools and houses of worship. “I will put everything I’ve got into this,” he said. He urged ordinary citizens to support these and other changes following the murder last month of 20 school children in Connecticut. “It can’t just be the usual suspects” who speak out, he said. “This will not happen unless the American people demand it.” He added that those advocating changes will face “pundits and politicians and special interest lobbyists publicly warning of a tyrannical all-out assault on liberty, not because that’s true but because they want to gin up fear or higher ratings or revenue for themselves. And behind the scenes they’ll do everything they can to block any common-sense reform and make sure nothing changes whatsoever.” Speaking specifically of the shooting that killed 12 people in an Aurora, CO movie theater last July he said that “weapons designed for the theater of war have no place in a movie theater.”
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