It's not video games | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Recent tragic shootings have made it easy for interest groups to point fingers. Democrats have aimed the blame at lax gun control laws, inciting the wrath of the GOP and the National Rifle Association.

Subsequently, Republican groups have deflected the accusatory fingers of gun-control supporters elsewhere — namely, violent media and especially video games.

People supporting the NRA — such as Sen. Lamar Alexanderd, R-Tenn. — have even insinuated that video games are a bigger threat to society than guns. Such a notion is preposterous!

Violent video games may be able to increase aggression and can sometimes become addictive, but the sole purpose of guns is to harm or kill. The two simply aren't comparable.

I am an avid gamer. I do not own a gun, nor have I ever had the desire to. I have never had homicidal thoughts.

Politicians and the media need to stop making video games into scapegoats and confront the real issues with violence in our country: mental illness and gun control.

Gavin Leavitt

South Jordan