Minor Item on game violence

This was buried at the end of a Washington Post column, mostly focused on embattled (and criminally dishonest, in my opinion) Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:

Guns and video games: ABC's "This Week" host, George Stephanopoulos, noted that the father of Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) called for new gun laws the day after 14 were shot dead at the University of Texas in 1966, and the host asked Dodd, a 2008 presidential hopeful, whether he would follow in his father's footsteps. Dodd replied that there is more than guns to talk about: "mental health, what's on our television and video things. And it isn't just about legislation or regulation. It's having a leader in the White House that's willing to talk about these issues."

Honestly, the heading (in italics in the original article) is a bigger mention of games than what came up in the actual interview. Also, I happened to catch the McLaughlin group on Sunday morning, and I don't recall a single mention of games, although gun control was hotly debated.

On a side-note on gun control. I would self identify as very liberal, but I don't want to take anyone's guns away. However, if Virginia is on the cutting edge of gun control laws because you can only buy one gun a month, I've got to stop and take a second look. Do we really need to be able to buy 12 guns a year in this country? Stop and think about that, 12 guns a year.

Every year in this country, about 3,000 kids and teenagers are killed by guns. About half are suicides or accidents. Those are completely preventable and are directly influenced by more guns in society. Those kids shouldn't die because you're afraid of a burglar or think it's cool to have a gun or want to shoot at wildlife.

When we look at some parts of the world, we think that their cultures are violent. They look as us in the same way. We think it's stupid, dangerous and ignorant to fire assault rifles into the air at weddings for the most part. We think it's bad in Iraq that so many people have so many guns, and maybe it is, but those are people who have legitimate cause to protect themselves. I'm rambling, but I guess the point I'm trying to make is this --

To those of you who do not want any change in gun control laws in this country: there are costs in human lives for the way we act towards and think about guns. I've tried to amend another point here, but it comes off as preaching or whining, or just jabbing at the other side because I don't agree with them. The way we live is a choice, and if we continue to live in the same way, we shouldn't expect anything different than what we're used to.