Gun control. Video game legislation.

They're both hotly debated. And while GP tries to not let his own political opinions show (much), one thing that's clear is that nobody ever shot anyone with a copy of Halo or GTA San Andreas.

Guns? Now they're another story. Nobody ever shot anyone without one of those.

And yet we continually hear about gamers "literally training to kill" and learning "cranial killing menus" from critics like Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and whatsizname down in Miami. Both have voiced the opinion that Paducah, Kentucky school shooter Michael Carneal taught himself marksmanship while playing DOOM.

And so it seems rather ironic that game publisher Crave is readying NRA Gun Club, a non-violent simulation that focuses on improving the player's shooting skills. Instead of aliens, World War II Nazi soldiers or zombies, the victims in Gun Club will include things like watermelons and paper targets.

More than 100 accurately-modeled guns are available in the game, including law enforcement and military weapons. A GameSpot preview calls NRA Gun Club "a first-person target shooting game with an interesting nonviolent, educational slant on guns... control seems to be limited to aiming, firing, zooming, and holding your breath while zooming to maintain a steady shot."

The NRA, of course, is a rather controversial organization itself, albeit a well-financed and highly politicized one.

So will a game designed to teach players how to shoot provoke the same kind of criticism spawned by titles in which shooting is largely abstracted?

NRA Gun Club is scheduled for October release on the PS2. It will carry an E-10 rating from the ESRB, with a content descriptor for "mild violence."

Thanks to GP reader Karsten Fouquaet for the heads-up on this one.

We don't always agree with ABC journalist John Stossel of 20/20 fame.

But a section of Stossel's new book Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity addresses the oft-repeated argument that violent games produce violent kids. In particular, Stossel takes game critic Dave Grossman down a peg or three.

Stossel writes, in part:

"Self-appointed experts are sometimes so successful in propagating their arguments that the original source gets lost in the confusion..."

"Even the Surgeon General's Office told us, 'The Marines use the game Doom to desensitize recruits.' Where did they learn that? From Grossman. We called the Marines, They said (Doom) is not used to desensitize Marines, They say they used a version of the software to teach eye/hand coordination and teamwork. Period."

Stossel continues: "Do we, individual parents, get to decide for ourselves and our children, or will the government appoint some expert, maybe David Grossman to decide for us? After all, he's the source of the 'conventional wisdom' on the subject. Get out the shovel."

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Is this week's apparent rash of school shooting plots related to video games, as some vocal critics would have it? Or, are other factors at play, in particular the Columbine anniversary, April 20th?

Among law enforcement officials, sources tell GP that the Columbine anniversary is closely monitored for its possible inspiration of copycat massacres. And what of those would-be copycats? What social and psychological factors motivate them?

Columbine killer Eric Harris, for example, suffered from depression and was taking medication. He was also an angry teenager, had recently broken up with a girlfriend and had been turned down in his longtime dream to enter the Marine Corps. He was suicidal and fascinated with guns.

GP: random thought - why does the National Rifle Association escape blame? Actor Charlton Heston was NRA president at the time of Columbine. Why is Michael Moore the only prominent social critic blaming guns instead of games?

Back on topic, GP finds rather appalling a comment made by serial video game critic Dave Grossman (seen at left) in a news report by WISH-TV8 (Indianapolis). Grossman made his remarks during a school safety summit sponsored by the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy:

"The desire of the kids to commit this stuff is at levels we've never seen before," Grossman said. "The new ingredient in the equation is media violence, television, movies and especially the video games."

Especially the video games...

Meanwhile, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, there is a surprising degree of official reserve concerning an apparent game connection to a 17-year-old student who briefly held a teacher and another student hostage at gunpoint, firing a shot through a window during the incident.

As reported by the News-Observer, 17-year-old William Barrett Foster faces multiple criminal charges based on the incident. He left the school prior to the arrival of police and his mother immediately placed him into a hospital. Although the news report does not specify, it's likely that he is receiving psychological treatment, since no physical injuries are mentioned.

While one student described Foster as "one of those rebel kids," others told the newspaper he was a nice but quiet kid into skateboarding and video games, especially Halo. Foster's younger brother is so skilled at the popular Xbox shooter that he plays competitively and is paid to tutor others in mastering the game.

But here's the refreshing viewpoint expressed in the News-Observer report:

"...experts cautioned against linking video-game playing and school violence. Typically there are warning signs and other symptoms besides video-game playing, said Gregg O. McCrary, a retired FBI agent who trained teachers and police on what to look for to prevent juvenile violence. McCrary now has a consulting business, Behavioral Criminology International."

"'Not everybody who plays a violent video game or watches a violent movie is violent,' he said, adding, 'More people play video games who are not violent.'"