As mentioned in my previous post Carolyn McCarthy is still hard at work trying to get more and more media attention for her newest bill. However, her latest appearance on MSNBC to try and and sway the American public over to her side didn’t go over so hot. Take a look for yourself….
“it’s the shoulder thing that goes up”
Technorati Tags: Carolyn McCarthy, Barrel Shroud
This is clearly the hot media topic of today, yesterday, and likely will be for a long time. Which is fine, it should be. Yes this is a tragedy, yes our sympathy goes out to everyone that was somehow involved, that should go without saying. Unfortunately if I didn’t say it I’m sure some would think I was a soulless jerk, and just ignore anything valid that I had to say. Well I’m not, most of the time… So what are my thoughts on this whole situation? I find it quite distrubing how people can use this situation to push their ‘just cause’. Two different issues come to mind.
The first one I feel bad writing about because this person is clearly a media whore, and I’m only helping to give him what he wants by including his ridiculous comments, but alas I despise him and the tactics he uses. Jack Thompson (Florida attorney) is well known for his claims that video games cause violence. If he’s not in court wasting the nations time and money bitching about games like Rockstar’s “Bully” or “Grand Theft Auto” he is usually running his mouth about how video games create and help to train killers. Yesterday’s tragedy is no different, and apparently he saw it as a prime opportunity for him too draw attention away from the VA Tech tragedy and and use that sympathy that people feel towards it and direct it towards himself and his ‘just cause’. Unfortunately I can’t find the clip and I hate to link to Kotaku as a source, but it’s the best I could come up with.
“That’s right, Thompson is trying to link the worst shooting in U.S. history, the one that occurred earlier today at Virginia Tech, to video games.”
The second issue is how more strict gun laws would prevented this event from ever happening. There are a couple of big names who tried to steal the spotlight/sympathy from this tragedy and direct it towards their own causes. The first being Carolyn McCarthy. She is most recently known for her new bill (H.R. 1022) that is pushing for stricter (more strict then the old Brady bill that was allowed to expire) gun laws. Apparently this disillusioned soul feels that this entire event could of been averted if there were more strict gun laws in place.
“The unfortunate situation in Virginia could have been avoided if Congressional leaders stood up to the gun lobby.”
This is absolutely ridiculous. How can someone make the statement that this could have been avoided if there were more strict laws on guns. Guns will still be available, especially to those that obtain them illegally in the first place. So how will more strict laws prevent a person who obviously has mental problems from doing something like this? Another person fighting for a like cause had something similar to say. Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said,
“Details are still forthcoming about what motivated the shooter in this case to act, and how he was able to arm himself. It is well known, however, how easy it is for an individual to get powerful weapons in our country.”
Basically, we do not know how Cho Seung-Hui (the shooter) obtained the wewapon, or why he did what he did, but it’s probably because powerful guns are so easy to obtain. Honestly Paul, you have no idea what type of ‘powerful gun’ he used and I’m quite sure had it been one of the weapons you plan on banning this would of never happened. Excellent use of deduction and logic on that one buddy.
Now, I wouldn’t call myself a huge gun supporter. I do in fact own 2 guns (neither of which were illegal during the Brady ban) and have played and enjoyed video games where an animated character killed someone, or even died when he ran out of health, but the statements made by these people are absurd. I just hate to see people make such blatantly incorrect statements in an attempt to try and persuade the world that is sympathetic for those who were involved in this event that if their cause was heard and made law that these things would no longer happen. What about me (although i hardly consider myself media), am I in the wrong as well for posting about this event? As always comments are open for your opinions.
Technorati Tags: VA Tech Shooting, Jack Thompson, Media Whores, Carolyn McCarthy, Paul Helmke
Edit: I have found the Fox News clip of Jack Thompson. Watch that and tell me he is NOT a crack pot.