Texas School Shooting Points Finger at Video Games

As the community in Santa Fe, Texas, continues to mourn the loss of 10 people killed during the country’s latest mass shooting, one of the survivors says the issue has nothing to do with gun laws.

A 17-year-old student armed with a shotgun and pistol opened fire in a Texas high school on Friday, claiming the lives of eight students and two teachers.

It is the latest in a string of mass shootings which have reignited debate about US gun-control laws.

But Monica Bracknell, an 18-year-old senior who survived the shooting, stopped to tell the Governor ahead of a church service for the victims that the attack should not be turned into a political battle over gun control.

Surrounded by television cameras, photographers and reporters she told Texas Governor Greg Abbott guns were not to blame.

“People are making this into a political issue,” she said she told him.

“This is not a political issue. It’s not a gun-law issue.

“It’s a this-kid-was-able-to-get-into-the-school-very-easily issue.”

Also Sunday (local time), Texas Lt Governor Dan Patrick called for a “hardening” of the nation’s school buildings in the wake of the attack.

Mr Patrick, a Republican, blamed a “culture of violence” for the school shooting, specifically naming video games and abortion procedures as factors.

“We have incredible, heinous violence as a game, two hours a day in front of their eyes. And we stand here and wonder why,” he said,

“According to psychologists and psychiatrists, 97 per cent of teenagers view video games, and 85 per cent of those video games are violent. What are these games showing you how to do? Kill people.”

Mr Patrick said more needed to be done to keep shooters away from students, such as restricting school entrances and arming teachers.

“When you’re facing someone who’s an active shooter, the best way to take that shooter down is with a gun. But even better than that is four to five guns to one,” he told CNN.