• Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
  • We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.

Loudninja

Member
Oct 27, 2017
42,209
Posted SolidSnakex

The mayor of Odessa, Texas, on Sunday blamed the mass shooting in his town that claimed seven lives on "evil people" and "violent video games."

When MSNBC news host Kendis Gibson asked Mayor David Turner how he was going to comfort the people of his town, Turner responded: "You comfort your city with prayer. We're having a prayer vigil tonight ... we will handle this one day at a time."

"What do you say to the people who say they need more than prayer to prevent something like this from happening?" Gibson pressed. Turner told him: "There's always going to be evil people. Evil people find ways to hurt people."

Gibson pointed out that an assault rifle was used in the El Paso mass shooting in early August that killed 22 people, and that one was used by the Odessa shooter. "Isn't there something common in all of this?"


Turner answered: "I think it's a problem of the heart, to be honest with you. We have some of the most violent video games that you can see." President Donald Trump blamed "gruesome and grisly" video games after the El Paso attack for helping to instigate mass shooters, echoing other Republicans' claims despite no credible evidence.

Turner was asked about looser gun laws that went into effect in Texas Sunday. They will allow firearms in public places like schools and churches, as well as foster homes and rental properties. "Some of these will allow schools to be protected even more," the mayor said. "But as far as the total of the laws, I haven't seen those. I've been a little busy."

The mayor said in a brief interview with the Washington Post the day of the shooting: "There are a lot of people hurt and a lot of people scared. In a situation like this, prayer is the most important thing."
 

SmokingBun

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
2,091
You know I almost wish video games were the cause, then at least we could ban them and children would stop dying

Can't ban guns though... nuh uh!
 

Bard

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
12,463
"No way to prevent this, says nation where this regularly happens."

Fuck these people man.
 

N64Controller

Member
Nov 2, 2017
8,345
Wait until the Joker movie comes out, games will get a break for a while.

They will never blame guns for anything. Ever. It's always something external.
 

Lucky241

Member
Oct 31, 2017
751
the shores of Carcosa
I give the billionaires credit. They know how to send down marching orders via their dark money "conservative think tanks" and suddenly every GOP foot soldier is parroting the same talking point in unison. Gotta admire that level of control and efficiency. Today it's blaming video games.

The billionaires really are scared their massive equity stakes in gun manufacturers could take a stock hit with a ban. The billionaires would rather see scores of "the help" dead than settle for less money and power.
 

Doorman

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,863
Michigan
The mayor said in a brief interview with the Washington Post the day of the shooting: "There are a lot of people hurt and a lot of people scared. In a situation like this, prayer is the most important thing."
This should be considered a complete dereliction of duty and in a just world, he would be removed from office. Flat out admitting that he has no interest in doing anything at all to even try and prevent future murders. Like, if you want to try and scapegoat something other than guns, at least act like you're going to do something about that scapegoat in the interest of wanting to make things better? Instead of just...literally nothing?

So much for protecting the sanctity of life, huh.
 

GK86

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,768
Someone should ask these assholes what shitty prayer are they saying since these shootings keep happening.
 

Embedded

Member
Oct 27, 2017
616
American stupid people, sound stupider than any other kind of stupid people in the world.

- Dylan Moran
 

thewienke

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,957
"There are a lot of people hurt and a lot of people scared. In a situation like this, prayer is the most important thing."

I can't.

Whatever your stance on religion, the analogy here is basically trying to solely pray people to better health which only a very, very small and extreme group of Christians believe.

So it seems kinda hypocritical to rely only on prayer when action can be taken. Further, I don't think there's any Biblical support for "pray the murder away".

It's really just using religion to prop up a perceived ideal way of life that is generally unique to the US. Southern and rural culture is so intertwined with a specific blend of Christianity that the lines between the two often blur so it's no wonder that people defend guns with the same fervor as religion.

Video games aren't enshrined in this culture so it's an acceptable or even preferable sacrifice.
 

AlexFlame116

Prophet of Truth - One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 17, 2017
23,182
Utah
Prayer does absolutely NOTHING unless you act upon it first. The whole scriptures say that. You do what you can and then have a prayer of confirmation. Yes there are prayers of comfort but they also come with a promise to do something about the situation. You don't just send thoughts and prayers and then expect to do nothing else.

He's such an idiot. Not only is he doing the very bare minimum (and not even that since he won't do anything after the prayer), but he's also using the "violent video games" crap that Trump keeps blasting. Something that amazingly also exists in other countries but you don't see them having a daily mass shooting!
 

Deleted member 25606

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 29, 2017
8,973
Man these Texas politicians with the prayer shit.

And I cannot even get mad at the video game blame/rhetoric since they are not even calling for band or censorship, just more prayer.
 

Phrozenflame500

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
2,132
Y5R1Ezi.jpg
 

Miles Davis

Alt account
Banned
Jun 22, 2019
802
Or you know how about when you fucking threaten your neighbor with a gun for no reason your ass has all your guns confiscated? People on a lot of prescriptions shouldn't have guns either. How fucking hard is it to enforce some of these laws.

I think the awful thing is gun manufacturers and arms dealers are the ones making all the money and they don't want laws against this shit. They sell all their weapons across the world enabling this conflict. Police do nothing when reports come in of a neighbor threatened by some crazy ass dude in a house with no electricity? Come on man. You don't have to ban all guns. You have got to have laws on their accessibility.

How the fuck does America not have more laws in the bag about guns? Police too busy in Texas arresting black dudes for marijuana to even check this threatening behavior out?
 

Miles Davis

Alt account
Banned
Jun 22, 2019
802
I give the billionaires credit. They know how to send down marching orders via their dark money "conservative think tanks" and suddenly every GOP foot soldier is parroting the same talking point in unison. Gotta admire that level of control and efficiency. Today it's blaming video games.

The billionaires really are scared their massive equity stakes in gun manufacturers could take a stock hit with a ban. The billionaires would rather see scores of "the help" dead than settle for less money and power.
Yo, here it is. It's about motherfucking time this stupid ass country starts opening up a dialog about its arms dealers. Because ding ding ding we manufacture all kinds of this shit and people make billions off it. They ain't gonna ban this shit. So we got to start making rules on who can access this shit. This guy threatened a neighbor and it was no big deal. I call bullshit on that. Texas is fucking crazy yo. One more state to cross the fuck off my list. Hell, most of the US is off my list at this point.
 

Deleted member 8257

Oct 26, 2017
24,586
These fucking reporters. Just ask the shitbird why he thinks there have been no mass shootings in UK? Don't they play the same videogames we do?
 

Hey Please

Avenger
Oct 31, 2017
22,824
Not America
I mean he is right.

Up here in Canada we don't have mass shootings and we buy the same video games as MAGALand.

..Oh wait a minute...

Does this mean every other place where the same video games are sold have far fewer 'Evil' people than TrumpCountry?

...Shieeet...

I am struggling to think of many third world nations let alone developing nations that are this riddled with Evil People as MAGALand.

Still he is right about Prayers being the most important thing to do post tragedy. It is what weak people cling to who lack either the will and/or power to enact any meaningful change and so they look to the sky for deliverance.

Got to hand it to republicans though, they at least keep on fighting tooth and nail at times invoking the name of god to lend divine credence to their earthly endeavours and ambitions.
 

chrisPjelly

Avenger
Oct 29, 2017
10,496
If video games are virtual gun handling programs, then why don't we arm good guys with video games to protect us from bad guys with video games!
#VideogamesAreGreatAgain
 

HardRojo

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,133
Peru
You'd think they'd get it after praying for so long after every shooting has done jack shit. What's the saying? Something like don't expect different results if you keep doing the same thing?
 

NoKisum

Member
Nov 11, 2017
4,913
DMV Area, USA
Not gonna lie, I think it would be hilarious seeing someone trying to rob another person by holding a copy of Madden 20 in their face.
 

rjinaz

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
28,408
Phoenix
All these violent video games going out there and shooting people. Somebody needs to stop them. Let's pray for them to be stopped.