USC’s Norman Lear Center Report Urges Hollywood To Re-Examine Gun Violence In Films & TV Shows

deadline.com:

A new report from USC Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center makes the case that the depiction of gun violence in the media is fueling gun violence in real life, while the “on-screen representation of characters using guns desensitizes children to the consequences of guns but increases their interest in them.” “I couldn’t be prouder that the Center which bears my name is releasing this report about gun safety and the entertainment industry,” Lear said in a statement. “How guns are portrayed on screen should reflect the public health crisis we are in and help portray responsible gun ownership.” Issued on the eve of the first anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two adults were murdered by an assault rifle-wielding 18-year-old, the report says “America has more guns than people; more homicides, suicides, and unintentional deaths by firearm than any of its high-income peer countries by orders of magnitude.

The number one cause of death for children and teens in America is gun violence. So it makes sense that guns seem to be everywhere in our media, too.

From late night news to Saturday morning cartoons, cop shows to comedies – guns are ubiquitous on our screens.” According to the report titled “Trigger Warning: Gun Guidelines for the Media,” 4,300 children died from firearms in 2020 alone, while “85% of children under 13 who are victims of gun homicide die in their home.

An estimated 30 million children in the U.S. live in households with firearms, and 4.6 million live in a home with at least one loaded and unlocked gun.