Entertainment

Samuel L. Jackson on Newtown, Conn. massacre: ‘I don’t think it’s about more gun control’

Jessica Stanton Contributor
Font Size:

Actor Samuel L. Jackson is refusing to join the chorus of actors, celebrities and politicians pushing for more gun control in the wake of the deadly massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

“I don’t think it’s about more gun control,” Jackson told the Los Angeles Times. “I grew up in the South with guns everywhere, and we never shot anyone. This [shooting] is about people who aren’t taught the value of life.”

Jackson, one of the stars in Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming violent Civil-War era thriller “Django Unchained,” said parents and role models are more important than gun control laws.

The staunch supporter of President Barack Obama also rejected the notion that movies or video games influence people to commit acts of violence.

“I don’t think movies or video games have anything to do with it,” Jackson declared.

Tarantino, who has directed numerous violent movies, including the “Kill Bill” series, agreed.

“I just think, you know, there’s violence in the world, tragedies happen, blame the playmakers,” Tarantino said. “It’s a Western. Give me a break.” (RELATED: ‘Django Unchained,’ ‘Jack Reacher’ events canceled after Sandy Hook tragedy’)

But Jammie Foxx, a co-star in the flick, says the entertainment industry should take some responsibility for influencing violence.

“We cannot turn our back and say that violence in films or anything that we do doesn’t have a sort of influence,” Foxx said in an interview on Saturday. “It does.”

Follow Jessica on Twitter