PG-13 gun violence surpasses R-rated movies
| New York
Gun聽violence in PG-13 rated聽movies聽has increased considerably in recent decades, to the point that it sometimes exceeds聽gun聽violence in even R-rated films, according to a study released yesterday.
Ohio State University and the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania surveyed聽gun聽violence in top-grossing聽movies, finding that the frequency of聽gun聽violence had more than tripled in PG-13 films since 1985. The PG-13 rating was introduced in 1984.
Gun聽violence in PG-13聽movies聽has rivaled the frequency of聽gun聽violence in R-rated聽movies聽since 2009, and actually surpassed it in 2012, according to the study.
Researchers examined a total of 945 films, drawing from the 30 top-grossing聽movies聽from 1950 through 2012. It focuses on sequences involving "the firing of hand-held聽guns聽with the intent to harm or kill a living being."
The study, which included animated films, did not judge whether the representations of聽gun聽violence were cautionary in message or not. It also analyzed only a snapshot of the most popular films at the box office, suggesting it said as much about audience tastes as Hollywood's output.
Critics of the ratings system have long held that it places too much emphasis on sexuality and too little on violence.
"We treat sex as R," said Daniel Romer, director of Annenberg's Adolescent Communication Institute, in a statement. "We should treat extreme聽gun聽violence as R."
The study found that PG-13 films on average had one 5-minute segment with聽gun聽violence in 1985. That rate has risen to more than three such segments per聽movie聽in recent years. The trend was roughly in tandem with the rate of聽gun聽violence in R-rated films over the same time period.
The Motion Picture Association of American declined to comment on the study.
The MPAA's definition of a PG-13 rated聽movie聽is that "there may be depictions of violence ... but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence."
The PG-13 rating cautions parents that the聽movie聽may include material inappropriate for children under 13. The R rating restricts people under the age of 17 from attending the聽movie聽without a parent or guardian.
