On Dec. 21, 2012, the National Rifle Association came out forcefully, blaming the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on everything from video games to the media on, while not mentioning the proliferation of guns or any introspection on gun regulation.
NRA executive vice-president Wayne LaPierre, was quoted in a press conference saying, “Guns don’t kill people. Video games, the media, and Obama’s budget kill people.”
This has raised many questions on what causes violent outbreaks.
Adam Lanza, the perpetrator of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was addicted to playing “Call of Duty”, a first person shooter game in which the participants use high powered weapons to kill virtual people.
He spent hours obliterating virtual victims in his basement and studying photos of guns.
While Lanza, did spend hours playing video games, there is no question that guns are readily available in stores.
It is not difficult to obtain a gun license  in the United States and common places such as Walmart have started selling guns and weapons.
The irony is that Walmart readily sells firearms but censors music sales.
So we must finally ask.
Is it video games or the accessibility of guns that cause violent outbreaks?
The NRA confusedly claims that guns have nothing to do with this while adding that the solution in protecting children would be to add more guns and increase security at schools.
While there have been numerous lawsuits against the makers of video games alleging that the simulated violence causes real-world violence, several studies have found that there is no conclusive link between video games and violent activity.
Major studies conducted by The Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health and The British Medical Journal have concluded that there is not enough evidence to solidify that this is the cause.
However, other studies have found that video games do increase aggression and bullying, which may lead to violent activity afterwards.
Other reports have found that children who already have violent tendencies choose to play violent videos, which counterargues the idea that video games are the source of violence.
Still, the fact that dangerous weapons are so easily obtained  and video games that portray obscene features are some of the factors why we are seeing such devastating incidences recently.
However, we should consider other factors that contribute to this.  
 There are violent books, gory movies, and even recreational shooting ranges out there that follow the same sort of theme.
So what is the cause of all this violence and what needs to be done to stop it?
Almost anything can cause violent behavior, from mental illness, child abuse,  genetics and substance abuse, to associating with people who engage in violent activities.