U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said he’s asked “a whole lot of people” for help dealing with the problem of gun violence.
Not everyone was happy with the videogame industry’s participation in U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s task force investigating the causes of – and, one would hope, potential solutions to – the problem of gun violence. The feeling among some is that by taking part, the industry is effectively admitting that in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, videogames may in fact play some role in mass murders like that in Newtown, Connecticut last December.
But in a video posted on YouTube, the VP said that the game industry is not being specifically eyeballed as a causative factor in mass shootings. “We know that there is no silver bullet, there is no, as one of my friends said, no seat belt we can put on to ensure we will not be in this circumstance again,” Biden said. “We know this is a complex problem. We know there’s no single answer, and quite frankly we don’t even know whether some of the things people think impact on this actually impact on it or not.”
“So I want you to know you have not been ‘singled out’ for help,” he added, patting Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello, who was seated beside him, on the shoulder. He then rattled off a lengthy list of other agencies that had taken part in the process, ranging from various law enforcement and medical associations to “at risk groups,” civil rights organizations, gun safety advocates, interfaith groups, the NRA and many others.
“I come to this meeting with no judgment,” Biden said. “We’re looking for help. I understand that a few of you here are researchers, assessing the impact, if any, on behaviors… we’re anxious to see if there’s anything you can suggest to us that you think would [help].”
“There’s no measure that I’m aware of to be able to determine whether or not there’s a coarsening of our culture in a way that is not healthy,” he continued. “I don’t know the answer to that question, [and] I’m not sure what kind of impact it would have or wouldn’t have on the kind of events we’re looking at.”
Biden said he hoped to be able to deliver his recommendations to U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday.
Source: YouTube
