GUN VIOLENCE CLIMBS IN PG-13 MOVIES

The level of gun violence in the most popular PG-13-rated movies now exceeds that in the most popular R-rated movies, according to a study underwritten by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and reported in today’s (Monday) New York Times. In an interview with the Times, Daniel Romer of the Annenberg center said that the reason for the increase of violence in PG-13 films was simple: “Violence sells,” he said. “We recognize that, and the movie industry realizes it.” The study calls for the MPAA to change its ratings criteria. “We treat sex as R,” Romer said “We should treat extreme gun violence as R.” A spokeswoman for the MPAA declined to discuss the study’s results with the Times.