HOUSTON (CNN) — Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Sunday (May 20) said school shootings aren’t happening because of an issue with guns. Rather, he blamed the tragedies on a litany of other reasons, including abortions and violent video games.
Patrick praised Gov. Greg Abbott’s plans for a roundtable discussion on how to protect students from gun violence after the nation’s latest school shooting in Santa Fe, where 10 people were killed. “Everything ought to be on the table,” Patrick said.
Here’s what Patrick attributed school shootings to:
Violent video games
“The video games issue, we have got to address in this country. Based on all the research we have done, 97%, according to psychologists and psychiatrists … of teenagers view video games, and 85% of those video games are violent. … And what are these games showing you how to do? Kill people. … The vast majority [of psychologists and psychiatrists] will tell you it leads them to become numb to violence, to have less empathy to their victims and be more aggressive. Does that impact everyone who views them? No, but it obviously is part of the problem.”
Removing religion from schools
“We have devalued life in this country. We threw God out of school.”
Abortions and ‘broken’ families
“We have 50 million abortions. We have families that are broken apart, no fathers at home. We have incredible heinous violence as a game, two hours a day in front of their eyes. And we stand here and we wonder why this happens to certain students.”
Irresponsible gun owners
“I’m a gun owner. Many of you are gun owners. We have a responsibility to be sure our guns are safe at home. That’s where gun control starts, at home. … Your guns ought to be safe at home.”
Too many entrances to schools
Speaking Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Patrick repeated earlier arguments about eliminating some school entrances: “We need to get down to one or two entrances into our schools.” He added: “You have the necessary exits for fire, of course, but we have to funnel our students into our schools so we can put eyes on them.”
Unarmed teachers
Patrick said Texas law allows teachers to carry guns but that decision is made on the local level.
“We have to arm our teachers. … If another person has a gun, the best way to stop that person is with another person with a gun. But an even better way is four people with a gun to stop that person.”
“I said this morning on an interview: ‘This is not about guns.’ … This is about us, as a culture and a nation. Who are we?”
