U.S. Senator Proposes Banning "Grand Theft Auto V" in The Wake of Sandy Hook Tragedy

Yeah, that's the problem. Glad my taxes pay your salary.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Don't think there's any heavier of a sigh we can muster for this one, but we will try. 

After a heart-wrenching tragedy of the magnitude as the Sandy Hook shooting, it's human nature to let mob mentality take over and point fingers wherever our hands will let us. The scale and horror of the incident is the sort of thing that makes you question the entire species as a whole, and maybe decide if we should just call this whole 'humanity' thing off.

But, when the shock, soul-crushing sadness, and blind rage wear off, we should rely on reason and logic to ask the more important questions. Why did this happen, and how can we make sure this never happens again?

Well if you're a sitting US Senator you skip the logic and reason part and point that finger wherever it'll fit. That's right, US Senator Joe Manchin would like to place the blame for what happened firmly on video games and Rockstar's flagship franchise specifically. 

In a recent interview, Manchin says “Look at Grand Theft Auto, put out by Rockstar Games in New York City and see what it promotes. Shouldn’t that be looked into and maybe be banned?”

The media and the politicians have done a particularly shitty job when it comes to talking about video games, and using them as a scapegoat for violent tragedies. But when a sitting US Sentaor starts talking about banning games, what's next? We've read some pretty violent comic books in our time, why don't we ban those too?

Knee-jerk reactions are never the ones that should be converted into legislation. Oh, did we mention that Senator Manchin went on to praise the NRA (National Rifle Association) for their measured response to the recent tragedy. Manchin went on to give a shout out to the gun control lobbyists as his “friends”.

Way to be an opportunistic shill Senator, wonder who the biggest donors to your recent campaign might have been? Let us know what you think over on Twitter.

[via Attack of the Fanboy]

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