Democratic state senator Leland Yee (CA) knows exactly who is to blame for the recent streak of gun violence and school shootings: video game players. According to an article in the San Francisco Gate, Yee has joined the White House's crusade to pin at least part of the blame for gun violence on video games, and is attempting to marginalize the opinions of gamers as unimportant.
"Gamers have got to just quiet down," Yee said in the article. "Gamers have no credibility in this argument. This is all about their lust for violence and the industry's lust for money. This is a billion-dollar industry. This is about their self-interest."
Yee is a former child psychologist, and his previous attempt to outlaw violent video games was overturned by the United States Supreme Court. Despite studies that show violence is triggered by a number of factors, video games have often been specifically blamed as a root cause. Some cite, as proof, the fact that Newtown school shooter Adam Lanza was a fan of the shooter game Call of Duty.
When President Obama first announced his initiative for combating gun violence through a series of executive orders, he made specific mention of gun ownership and video games as part of the problem. However, both the President and Yee have yet to single out Hollywood for their violent content, including movies, television shows, and music. A number of Hollywood celebrities have been outspoken supporters and donors of the President.
Victor Medina writes for Yahoo News and his political blog WhenLiberalsAttack.com. His other writing credits include The Dallas Morning News and SportsIllustrated.com. He has served as a Dallas County election judge and on the Board of Directors of The Sixth Floor Museum. You can follow him on his blog, VictorMedina.com or on Twitter at @mrvictormedina. He can be reached by email at vic@victormedina.com. To be notified of future stories by Victor Medina, click the SIGN UP or SUBSCRIBE button at the top of this page.
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