After the recent El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, Walmart
has introduced a new initiative to eliminate any depictions of violence
throughout their stores. Workers were told to turn off violent video demos and remove
any signs or displays that depicted violence immediately. Walmart is also
taking the initiative to stop selling rifle ammunition and asking customers to not
carry firearms into the stores, even if it is legal to do so within the state. The
new initiative comes as a way to “reduce the risk” of mass acts of violence
from occurring again. After watching Tough Guise 2, it made me wonder if
the lack of advertisement of violent video games/films will negatively impact
the revenue from these industries, resulting in a lack of revenue for the
firearm industry. While this initiative is certainly a starting point in terms
of gun control, the issue lies within widespread society, not just local
retailers. While the increasing amounts of violence depicted in films/games may
contribute to increased violence in society, the issue lies less with the
access to guns and more with the harmful stereotypes attributed to men asserting
their manliness through acts of aggression. It is interesting that the article
refers to the shooter as a “gunman” rather than an “assailant,” putting a
gender to the attacker rather than de-gendering the situation.
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