GOP lawmaker: Porn partly to blame for school shootings

Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) said that pornography is partially to blame for gun violence in schools.

The GOP lawmaker made the comment during a listening session with local pastors last week while discussing several factors that she said contribute to increased gun violence.

“Why do we see kids being so violent?” she asked, according to a recording of her comments obtained by HuffPost. “What makes them do that?” 

{mosads}Black, who is running for Tennessee governor, blamed the increase in school shootings on “deterioration of the family,” “violent movies” and “pornography,” though she did not specify what effect pornography had.

“It’s available on the shelf when you walk in the grocery store,” she said of pornography. “Yeah, you have to reach up to get it, but there’s pornography there.”

“All of this is available without parental guidance,” she added. “I think that is a big part of the root cause.”

She also said that mental illness needs to be addressed to prevent gun violence, pointing to what she called “signs” of school shooting suspects’ anti-social behavior.

Black’s comments come after a series of school shootings and an increased national conversation about gun control.

A spokesman for Black declined to comment further on her remarks.

-Updated 3:37 p.m.