JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Some of the most popular video games flying off the shelves of local stores this Christmas are some of the most violent ones.
Many are so graphic that they worry parents.
Helen Palmer-Lockwood, a Riverside mother of an 11-year-old boy who owns hundreds of video games, told Action News, "I watch my son's friends play these games. Part of the fun is going around shooting people passing you by on the street."
On Friday, the head of the NRA blamed mass shootings like the one in Connecticut this month in part on the video gaming industry.
Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the NRA, called the industry, "a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people."
To minimize children's exposure to the violent video games, the video gaming industry does attach a rating designed to warn parents to the cover of each game. Games rated "M for mature," claim to be suitable only for players age 17 and over. Other popular games ratings are "E for everyone" and "E 10+," for children ages 10 and older.
"If you want to pay attention to what your kids are doing, it's not difficult," said Mrs. Palmer-Lockwood, "It's called being a parent."
