Does anyone know what kind of porn Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) is watching?
Whatever it is, the 67-year-old Black, who is running for governor of Tennessee, said it’s a “big part” of what is driving the spike in school shootings.
During a meeting last week with local pastors, Black raised the issue of gun violence in schools and why it keeps happening.
“Pornography,” she said.
“It’s available on the shelf when you walk in the grocery store. Yeah, you have to reach up to get it, but there’s pornography there,” she continued. “All of this is available without parental guidance. I think that is a big part of the root cause.”
Here’s an audio of her remarks, which she made during a listening session with ministers at Safe Harbor of Clarksville, Tennessee.
Black didn’t clarify what it is about porn that she thinks is leading to school massacres. Her congressional spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
Beyond naughty movies, Black said school shootings are on the rise because of the “deterioration of the family,” mental illness and violent movies.
There have been 23 shootings of some type this year on the campuses of K-12 schools or colleges. Of those at the K-12 schools, nine involved a gun being discharged and people being injured or killed, including a Friday shooting in Indiana school that left a teacher and a student injured.
Contrary to Black’s take, experts say poor social, economic and cultural conditions are primary drivers of gun violence. Enacting policies to improve those conditions for people, along with reducing access to firearms, would go a long way in stemming mass shootings, they say.
These actions are “far more effective than all the police, doctors and hospitals combined, and intervening only after tragedies have struck,” said professors James Gilligan of New York University and Bandy Lee of Yale University, both experts on violence.
Clarification: This story has been updated to give a more precise breakdown of and details about the number of school shootings this year.