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Gun Violence More Common In PG-13 Than R-Rated Movies

Reid Nakamura |
November 11, 2013 | 4:34 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

Gun violence in movies is more common than ever before. (Twitter/TheFilmStage)
Gun violence in movies is more common than ever before. (Twitter/TheFilmStage)
A study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Journal, “Pediatrics,” has found that while violence has increased in all films overall, PG-13 rated films of recent years have a higher rate of gun violence than those rated R.

The researchers examined 945 of the top grossing films from 1950 to 2012 and noted the scenes of violence overall and gun violence specifically.

They found that gun violence has steadily gone up in PG-13 movies since the rating was instituted in 1985. They also found that rates of gun violence per hour in PG-13 movies has reached levels higher than the average rate of gun violence in R-rated movies in the past few years.

The results of the study are notable because of the so-called “weapons effect,” which says that the presence of weapons can increase aggression. The researchers argue that because of the popularity of PG-13 films among youth, the rise in gun violence may cause a rise in aggressive behavior of kids and teenagers.

This raises the question of whether the ratings system imposed by the Motion Picture Association of America is doing enough to ensure movies contain appropriate content for their audiences. Many of the highest grossing PG-13 movies of the year, including “Iron Man 3,” "World War Z" and “Fast & Furious 6” feature some scenes of gun violence.

The study comes in the wake of a number of recent mass shootings, including a shooting at LAX that resulted in the death of a TSA officer at the beginning of the month.

Reach staff reporter Reid Nakamura here.



 

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