Parkland shooting survivor and gun control activist David Hogg called out Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after video footage surfaced of the conspiracy-loving presidential candidate suggesting that mass shootings are caused by antidepressants and video games.
In a resurfaced clip from a January interview with TRT World’s Tim Constantine, Kennedy called on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate the potential connections between gun violence and psychiatric drugs, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a category of antidepressants. He also suggested examining any correlations with video game consumption.
He said:
“There's been no per capita increase in the amount of guns we have and yet these killings, mass killings, have exploded. We need to look at other reasons for that as well, a potential reason."
"NIH has not studied the etiology or cause of gun violence since 1996."
"NIH needs to be studying them to see if there’s connections to some of the SSRI and psychiatric drugs people are taking, or there’s connections to video games."
You can hear his remarks in the video below.
Hogg quickly seized on Kennedy's remarks to show how inane his take really is, writing:
"Wow I had no idea America was the only country with anti-depressants and video games."
You can see his post below.
Many echoed Hogg's criticisms.
Researchers have found no evidence to support a connection between pharmaceutical drugs and mass shootings.
Despite over 10 percent of the U.S. population using antidepressants, experts argue that if these medications were linked to violence, a higher incidence of shootings would be expected, particularly among groups prescribed these treatments at higher rates.
Researchers have also consistently found no evidence to substantiate a connection between video games and mass shootings, despite the widespread circulation of this notion, particularly in the aftermath of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.
A comprehensive review conducted by Stanford researchers last year delved into numerous reputable studies examining the purported link between video games and gun violence.
The findings of the review were clear: no causal relationship has been established between engaging in video games and committing acts of physical violence. However, some studies suggest that gaming may serve as an outlet for aggression. The correlation between gun violence and access to guns has been clearly demonstrated.
