More GOP Voters Blame Mass Shootings on Video Games Than on Gun Access

July 2024 · 3 minute read

There have already been more than 100 mass shootings in the United States so far this year. As some politicians, like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R), blame violent video games and other media depictions of gun violence for the epidemic of mass shootings, Morning Consult surveyed Americans to get a sense of how much they think violence in media is to blame, relative to other factors like gun access and mental health. 

The survey found that huge majorities of Americans blame recent mass shootings on mental health (85%) and on easy access to guns (75%), with smaller majorities also blaming violence in video games (61%), movies (53%) and music lyrics (51%). Republicans, however, blamed video games (63%) more than they did easy access to guns (59%).

Some groups tire of gun violence in entertainment

Hollywood addresses gun violence

Hollywood is already trying to find ways to tighten gun safety behind the scenes after actor Alec Baldwin’s accidental fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in October 2021. But when it comes to the depiction of guns on screen, the industry has been far slower to make changes. Many of the highest-grossing films and most-watched TV shows continue to heavily feature depictions of gun violence.

Some filmmakers and actors are making rules of their own. Director James Cameron revealed last year that he cut 10 minutes of gun violence from “Avatar: The Way of Water” because he didn’t want to “fetishize gun violence” anymore. A-list star Julianne Moore has been transparent about her choice to not act with guns on screen.

The April 12-15, 2023, survey was conducted among a representative sample of 2,201 U.S. adults, with an unweighted margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

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