While a terrorist attack on a school is a distinct possibility, Grossman spent much of his day two presentation discussing a more immediate and prevalent threat: active shooters.
Grossman, co-author of “Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill,” argued that the American entertainment industry, especially the makers of violent video games, are responsible for the rash of extreme violence perpetrated by children.
He began this part of his presentation by projecting the image of a very young Palestinian girl onto the screen. She was wearing a fake suicide bomb belt and a green Hamas head scarf. Grossman told the audience that most Americans think the Palestinians have a sick culture because they train children to be terrorists. “But what we’re doing to our own kids is vastly worse than what Palestinian terrorists are doing to their kids.”
Grossman cited research that has shown that video violence is intoxicating and addictive. He then detailed some aspects of extremely violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto and Postal 2 in which killing cops and innocent citizens is encouraged and rewarded. “Surveys show that 30 percent of second graders have played Grand Theft Auto,” he said.
More projected images followed. Grossman showed brain scans of teenagers playing violent video games. The scans revealed that the reasoning centers of their brains were turned off and their pleasure centers were overstimulated.
TV and movies were also attacked by Grossman for serving up violent imagery to children. He asked the question, “What would happen if a whole school just turned it off? No TV. No video games.” He gave examples of schools that have tried this Stanford University endorsed program for as much as a month. The schools reported much less student-on-student violence, less bullying, and higher grades.
Grossman believes that violent crime in America has reached staggering proportions. “We have a gunfight equal to the one at the OK Corral every day,” he said.
He urged the officers attending TREXPO to realize their role in defending their fellow Americans. “Our nation is like one big body under attack from a variety of diseases; you are the white blood cells that fight off these diseases. If we break in this dark and desperate hour, it will be because we cannot find enough qualified people to do the job you do.”
Grossman closed his second keynote in two days with a hand salute to the crowd, which responded with a standing ovation.
“Let me tell you something. Beslan was a dress rehearsal. Osama bin Laden tries very hard not to lie, and he has promised that Russia is our future. Don’t let them do it. It is your job to put a hunk of steel in your hand and shoot the SOBs who are coming to kill your kids.”
—Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
Don't miss TREXPO West 2008, being held February 19–22 in Long Beach, Calif., featuring keynote speaker John Giduck. For more information visit the TREXPO Website.