Youth gun violence is an increasingly menacing occurrence in American high schools and incidents such as the Columbine High School incident only serves to heighten the need to develop a comprehensive and effective strategy to hinder the escalation of such episodes. Thus, the reasons for gun violence must first be identified to assist in the development of such strategies.
2.1 The influence of the media.
In some instances, the media, which includes various means of mass communication such as television, radio, magazines, and newspapers, together with the people involved in their production can proliferate and broaden the reach of violence among youths especially through violence reporting, violent games and the Internet.
2.1.1Violence reporting.
Television news places much emphasis on retaining viewers. Depictions of violence lend themselves to this practice with outlets such as Court TV, a cable network, using footage of actual crimes as a source of entertainment. The broadcast industry has surrendered to the entertainment industry and that news in the visual media is valued not for its inherent importance or public service "but for its ability to attract an audience and turn a profit." (Maeroff, 2000) The depiction of violence on television is graphic and can be particularly harmful because children more readily connect with visual images. Watching this sort of action appears to desensitize the young and lead to aggressive behaviour. .
2.1.2 Violent games.
It is a commonly known fact that many video games do not hesitate to depict violence. Adults who take the time to view them are shocked by the horrific content of some. One of the newest games, Soldier of Fortune, not only allows a player, for just $45.99, to shoot and kill an enemy but to inflict all sorts of degrees of injury, from shooting off appendages, to putting bullets into the enemy's throat, to putting a bullet in the "right" place in the stomach to make the guts exude (Maeroff, 2000).
