Posted on 09/27/2017 3:56:39 PM PDT by PROCON
Kids who watch movies that depict people using guns are more likely play with firearms for longer periods of time and to pull the trigger, a new study suggests.
For the study, published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Ohio State University researchers had children ages 8-12 watch 20-minute clips from movies containing guns and other children watch movies in which no guns were used. After the movie clips, researchers recorded children playing for 20 minutes in a room with a cabinet full of toys, including a drawer that contained a disabled .38-caliber handgun equipped with a sensor to count trigger pulls.
While researchers did not see a noticeable difference in the number of kids who picked up and played with the gun between the two groups, they did notice a difference in how the kids played with the gun once it was handled. The children who watched the movie with characters firing guns played with the real firearm for longer periods of time and also pulled the trigger more often than children who had not seen a gun in their movie clip.
Researcher Brad Bushman told Reuters that he was not sure why the movies did not influence the number of kids who handled the gun but reiterated that the movies still seemed to influence behavior once the children started to handle it.
“But those who did handle the gun held it longer and pulled the trigger more times if they saw a movie with guns than if they saw a movie without guns,” Bushman said.
“Past research has shown that kids who see movie characters smoke are more likely to smoke themselves, and kids who see movie characters drink alcohol are more likely to drink alcohol themselves,” Bushman added. “Movies with alcohol have a warning, and movies with cigarettes also have a warning, and I think movies with guns should have a warning too.”
Out of 104 children, who were split off into pairs for the experiment, around 83 percent of them found the handgun in the cabinet drawer, and one or both children in 22 of the pairs handled the gun. Only 14 pairs of children alerted a research assistant when they found the firearm.
Researchers did note their experiment had its limitations, including a small sample size and the fact that only one firearm was available in the playroom.
While Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis argued in a companion editorial that condemning media violence and implementing stricter gun control laws would likely have little to no effect on children’s exposure to gun violence, he did say the study clearly showed how important proper gun storage can be in preventing unintentional shootings.
“Prior studies have shown that safe storage of guns is associated with a 75% reduction in the risk of firearm suicide and unintentional shootings among youths who are younger than 20 years,” Christakis said. “Intervention programs to increase the safe storage of firearms are effective, even in rural areas where hunting and using firearms is a regular part of the culture.”
LOL!
The AMA is about as accurate as Julius Streicher’s Der Stürmer. And yes, I am comparing the thieving, murdering, lying AMA pigs to German Nazis.
Yeah for Hickok. He’s great.
Children who grow up watching gender-deranged imbeciles on MTV grow up to be gender-deranged imbeciles, but that’s a GOOD thing.
Me ! Diana, I have a firearm in each room of the house. Each one, condition red. Ya just never know when the thugs may come a callin’ !!
Also, the kids are gone now . . . .
Well, of course! But mine are more for varmints at this point in time.
BUT when I had TODDLERS at home, everything was locked up and up HIGH.
This picture is just SO over the top! You can see why the pea-brained Socialists are so AFRAID of guns; they think THIS is how we in, ‘Flyover Country’ actually live!
“Little Sally! Take Daddy’s gun off the table now! I’m setting the table for supper!” *SNORT*
You’re right D. That pic is waaay over the top. Wonder how many they took to get just the “right” one ! LOL.
Yep, I have “killed” thousands of imaginary German and Japanese soldiers when I was kid.
Never killed a real person, nor do I have desire to.
Weird, ain’t it?
I am infuriated, there is not a “Tommy” gun in the set.
And it was American designed and made.
For Shame, For Shame! /sarc
Those are really neat.
Born in ‘52 - saw all the shoot-em-ups and learned the difference between the good guys and the bad guys at the same time....today, they often elevate the bad guys into some sort of dark hero BS....
I know! One of the kids I know watched Star Trek in the 60s, got ahold of a phaser, and killed seven other kids. Horrible!
I, too, grew up in the “westerns” era. Every Christmas I got “cap busters”, toy guns that fired “caps”.
My Dad had several real guns...a couple of rifles, and a double-barreled shotgun. I remember they were leaned against the wall, in a corner, behind the dresser.
He also had a couple of pistols in a drawer in his bedroom.
However, I knew it would have been hell for me if I ever touched one of them. It’s called parental supervision, and discipline.
The movies of today are based more on blood, guts, and violence for the sake of violence. The CGI department defines the movie, not the story, or plot.
Then there’s video games, which make “killing” the scoring system.
Parents need to keep those violent movies and games away from adolescents. They need to help them develop some life skills, morals, and attitudes before being introduced to real guns.
I’m 72, and I own several guns...but it’s been probably 5 years since I’ve shot any of them, then, at the range. They are for my family’s protection, not for hunting, or stalking.
This story is just another attempt at banning guns...it won’t work either.
I differentiate Westerns from the more recent Hollywood shoot-em-ups. I do not allow my children to watch gratuitous violence, especially when combined with a lot of the immoral trash in the same movies.
Same here.
Difference was if we touched a real gun without permission from an adult we were in for a serious ass whooping.
Maybe kids who like guns like to watch movies like that. Although their may be a relationship between the two variables, they haven’t proven causation.
I grew up watching the A-Team and still can’t hit anything I’m aiming at with my Mini-14.
Study: ‘People who believe studies are morons!’ This study was done by DeplorableAmerican...
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