Gun violence in PG-13 movies has more than tripled since 1985: study - New York Daily News

A new study is providing ammunition to critics who decry escalating gun violence on the big screen.

The amount of shootings in PG-13 movies has more than tripled since 1985, the first year that the rating when into effect, a team of researchers claim in the study published Monday in the journal, Pediatrics .

In fact, PG-13 movies feature even more gun violence than their R-rated counterparts, which are aimed at more mature audiences, the study by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center and Ohio State University found.

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The study found the amount of shootings in PG-13 movies has more than tripled since 1985.

The results come in the wake of a spate of mass shootings -- most notably James Holmes' rampage during a July 20, 2012 screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colo. -- which many right-leaning pundits and experts have blamed on violence in pop culture rather than accessibility of firearms.

"The effects of exposure to gun violence in films should not be trivialized," the study concluded.

"Even if youth do not use guns, the current research suggests that because of the increasing popularity of PG-13 rated films, youth are exposed to considerable gun violence in movie scripts. The mere presence of guns in these films may increase the aggressive behavior of youth."

AP

James Holmes is accused of opening fire during a midnight screening of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in Aurora, Colol, leaving 12 people dead and 58 others injured.

Though co-author Daniel Romer said in a statement that they weren't implying a direct causal link between violence on the big screen and real life mass shootings, the study comes at a time when there are clear battle lines drawn on the subject between gun control advocates and Second Amendment supporters.

"I think it's disrespectful to (shooting victims' memories,)" "Django Unchained" director Quentin Tarantino told NPR in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school massacre last December.

"The issue is gun control and mental health."

Liam Neeson shoots his way through an army of bad guys in 'Taken 2.'

The study's authors are quick to point out how other scientific studies have pointed to a connection between violent film images and increased aggression in young viewers.

Overall violence in films has doubled since 1950, according to the study.

"It's shocking how gun use has skyrocketed in movies that are often marketed directly at the teen audience," Brad Bushman, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at Ohio State University, told AFP News.

"It appears sex scenes are more likely to result in an R rating than scenes of violence."