That's what NRA vice president Wayne LaPierre wants you to think.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/nra-condemns-games-in-wake-of-connecticut-shooting-6401901?fb_ref=rec_forums

But you know, it strikes me as rather odd that the vice president of a firearms organization is blaming (at least partially) video games. To be fair, he's also blaming media as well, but since we are the gaming community, it's his shot at video games that we focus on. It's actually not odd; it's more like just plain frustrating that he would say that.

It was not more than a week ago that I wrote a small blog about the heinous shooting in Connecticut. I mentioned that I thought it was ridiculous that people were already blaming video games for the shooting based solely on the fact that Ryan Lanza liked Mass Effect's page on Facebook. As we already know, Ryan wasn't even the shooter. But it just gets on my nerves that people are so quick to make games, as well as the media, the scapegoat.

And I swear, every time I defend video games, I say it will be my last time, that I'm done with the subject. I didn't even want to write the blog last week because it was so sad, but I did anyway. This LaPierre guy, though, warrants another blog. He's a very irresponsible person shifting the blame away from the NRA, which is under heavy attack after the CT shooting, and towards the media. Well, LaPierre, you can't shoot people without first getting the guns. That's where your responsiblity lies. Let's not forget that Adam Lanza COULDN'T obtain the guns he wanted legally, that he stole the guns from his own mother. Why are you not blaming the mother? For whatever reason, her neglect to keep her legally obtained firearms secured resulted in her death, the death of her son, 20 children and seven other adults. Let's also not forget that she TAUGHT him how to shoot! And you blame VIDEO GAMES, Mr. LaPierre? I urge you to rethink your statement.

Now, you want to hear the crazy thing? I am FOR everyone's right to own a firearm, and here's why. Banning guns outright affects the responsible owners of firearms, the ones who own guns as hobbyists and use guns for sport. They are protected by our Constitution and we cannot let the actions of the few impact the rights of the many, or before you know it, the Constitution loses all meaning if it can be so easily modified. Besides, you aren't going to stop people who are illegally obtaining guns that are already illegal to own from shooting people.

If my view on this issue upsets you, I want you to ask yourself a quesiton. Do you drink alcohol? If you are above the age of 21 (in the US, could be 18 if you live in another country), chances are you do. You enjoy drinking alcohol, right? It makes you feel good, doesn't it? But what if I said I just drafted legislation that says you lost your right to drink alcohol because too many people are getting behind the wheel of a car and killing people? You would be angered, and your first response would be, "But I never drink and drive. I'm 'responsible'"! Yes, you may be responsible, but the fact of the matter is those people who have killed others as well as themselves driving under the influence were not. And I don't have the statistics, but I'm sure the numbers killed in drunk driving accidents outweigh the numbers of shooting victims. So yes, your outrage of me wanting to take away your alcohol is the same outrage gun owners feel when people want to ban guns.

By the way, I don't own guns. I don't like guns, and I will never own a gun. I've no interest in shooting them for target practice, and I especially don't like the idea of hunting. Far be it from me to restrict someone else's freedom of recreational hobbies, though. Let the people have their guns, because we as gamers surely do not want the government to take away our freedom to enjoy our violent video games.

Guns don't kill people. People kill people. That's the NRA motto, isn't it? Well Wayne LaPierre, video games don't kill people. PEOPLE kill people. People kill people without guns, too. Two of the worst terrorist acts on US soil used vehicles; Oklahoma with a rented truck, New York with a couple of jetliners. Can we blame video games for those, too? No, because I doubt McVeigh and Bin Laden even played video games, or if they did got so absorbed by them that it inspired them to go out and kill people.

I will agree to one point. For a distrubed individual, one who already cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, video games are not the thing for them to be exposed to. But even then, even if it makes them more aggressive, does it actually make them want to plot out a mass murder? No. You might be able to argue that it played a part, but I doubt you could convince anyone that it was the catalyst. And why do I say this? Because if your arguement was true, we'd be seeing hundreds if not thousands more shootings a year.

Honestly LaPierre, that has got to be one of the most poorly handled attempts at damage control I've seen in a very long time. You represent guns, and a gun was used to kill those people in Connecticut. Blaming something else that played a very minor role if any isn't going to help matters. All blaming does is misdirect the feelings of the masses and wastes precious time and energy, time and energy that should be spent first accepting responsiblity, and second educating and informing people, and third fixing the problem. Point the finger back at yourself, Wayne. After all, the person responsible for the massacre was the very person your organization tries to protect.

So no, don't blame the video games. Don't blame media, regardless of how much it sells violence. Art, which music, movies and video games are (video games are art, but that's another blog entirely) reflect society, and that's what society unfortunately is: violent. It's society that you should be playing more blame upon, LaPierre, and the people themselves committing the act. The people who knew they were succumbing to the darkness and the people who failed to save them are far more responsible for their actions than any Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty and most certainly Mortal Kombat, which doesn't even have guns. You blame the media for selling us violence, and yes, we like violence, but what do you peddle? What do your members sell and buy? Guns; symbols OF violence. I would have thought that someone with an intellect level high enough to be a vice president would have recognized that fact by now.

Now please do the responsible thing and accept responsibility. Only then can you begin to do something constructive instead of dodging the bullet, so to speak.

Oh yeah, and there's that whole lack of mental health care issue as well, but I'm sure it's more convenient to keep blaming video games...