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Student Association Backs Down on Nintendo Toy Gun Ban on Campus

Oct. 12, 2012 4:40pm Jason Howerton

Alexandria Bennett SMUDent Gaming Society Brandishing the NES ZAPPER at St. Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Credit: KRIS SIMS/QMI AGENCY)

The St. Mary’s University Student Association (SMUSA) in Halifax, Nova Scotia has changed its position on a campus-wide ban on the old Nintendo Zapper toy gun used in the classic game “Duck Hunt,” Sun News reports.

The controversy first began when the SMUDent Gaming Society released a promotional poster that displayed the Nintendo Zapper.

The poster was determined to be unacceptable by the St. Mary’s Student Association because it showed a “gun” — even if it referring to an orange toy gun with a long cord coming out of it. However, after being pelted with criticism, the organization has decided to back down and allow the organization’s planned activities to proceed.

As Sun News points out, “the plastic video game controller is used with the thirty-year old Nintendo Entertainment system.”

Here’s the sinister poster released by the SMUDent Gaming Society:

(source: smujournal.ca)

“I was very surprised, they are older people, they grew up with this, it’s an iconic image that they should have seen throughout their households, their friends’ households, even arcades have them,” said Alexandria Bennet, a spokeswoman for the SMUDent Gaming Society.

Now SMUSA is saying the poster ban was just a misunderstanding. This was after they cancelled an interview with Sun News to talk about the issue.

“The poster I have seen on recent media was not the one displayed to us, the one that was displayed to us was pixelated, grainy and black and white, I did not recognize it at all, I might have been five years old the last time I played Duck Hunt, but it’s certainly something I would remember,” SMUSA Vice President Mike MacDonnell, Vice President said.

“If they had come to us with the one they have up right now, it would have been approved,” he added.

However, Sun News reports that MacDonnell did not have a copy of the image that he claims to have received. Further, members of the gaming club say there was only one version of the poster – the same one that has been circulating across the internet.

As a result of the “misunderstanding,” the SMUDent Gaming Society was forced to scrap their plans to host a “Duck Hunt” party on campus because the plastic toy guns with cords coming out of them were not allowed on school property. The organization was concerned they could be confused for weapons and perceived to promote “gun violence.”

“In terms of the toy guns, no, that’s not okay with our policy for our bar, we don’t want to take the fun out of anything, but just look at what has happened recently, so we want to make sure that we’re safe and everything remains tasteful and in good fun,” MacDonnell explained.

“Anything that is in our bar that is promoting gun violence of any kind, we are not going to advocate for or endorse.”

The student organization quickly changed its tune though.

Sun News has more details:

News of the zapper ban at student functions has provoked a flood of responses from Sun News Network Viewers and Sun paper readers.

About half an hour after giving the interview to Sun, SMUSA reversed direction, saying that Duck Hunt, complete with zappers, would be allowed at the Friday pub function after all.

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Comments (28)

Grand design
Posted on October 13, 2012 at 7:01pm
Fire the school Political Correctness Police for being nitwits!

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Balpit
Posted on October 13, 2012 at 6:28pm
Thanks to PC gone amok, those Duck Hunt ducks can rest easy tonight.
And those clay pigeons, too. Will somebody PLEASE tell the PC police that clay pigeons are not real pigeons?

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Dancing_In_The_Ruins
Posted on October 13, 2012 at 1:32pm
A picture of a gun doesn’t promote gun violence. A picture of a gun doesn’t promote gun violence. A picture of a gun doesn’t promote gun violence.

A picture of a thug with gun does promote gun violence. A gun isn’t violence, it’s the person behind the gun.

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dbeesh
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 6:54pm
So if they are opposed to violent instruments will they ban vacuum cleaners and wire hangers.. Think about it.

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- Gumbercules
  Posted on October 13, 2012 at 4:17pm
  Joker killed a man with a pencil,
  Mafia strangles with piano wire,
  Chronicles of Riddick kills with a tea cup
  
  Just a few of the things we need to further ban. . .
  
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- endthemindlessspending
  Posted on October 14, 2012 at 2:11pm
  They need to ban pens and pencils cause they can be used to stab someone. Have to ban cars on school property, they can be used as a weapon.
  
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The Gooch
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 6:20pm
When you can’t tolerate a gawdy video game accessory, you are likely beyond reason. Good grief, it must be horrible to be ruled by fear and insecurity to the point that you look like a quivering lily a la Georgia O’Keeffe.
Dear busybodies: Grow the hell up… or go play in traffic.

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Daddy Hawg
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 5:56pm
OMG! Waht happens if they have a mishap and accidently shoot Ms. Pacman? Whatever would the world do?

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- damon_k
  Posted on October 12, 2012 at 6:18pm
  More political correctness brought to you by the Liberal University Industrial Complex. Read political commentary at: http://smallcraftadvisorychronicles.blogspot.com/
  
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steelpanther
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 5:40pm
Now SMUSA is saying the poster ban was just a misunderstanding. This was after they cancelled an interview with Sun News to talk about the issue.

No, it’s part of the liberal brainwashing to convince people that guns are bad, that if you have a gun, it’s going to come alive in the middle of the night and kill you.

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- The Gooch
  Posted on October 12, 2012 at 6:23pm
  Well, I suppose the one redeeming factor from this story is, thankfully, this breed of busybody jack@$$ can still be shamed.
  
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Metallicat
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 5:25pm
I knew Canada sucked,but still playing Duckhunt? And that is too violent for these sissies? I do think violence is relative to video games though. The game market is flooded with FPS games,and we see alot of young guys,who play these games,going on shooting sprees. I play alot of skyrim, and since ive stopped playing shooters,ive noticed my violent tendencies revolve around axes and planting them in skulls. I think video games influence the mode of violence,but dont force you to commit violence,something else usually accelerates it to violence.

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- mikenbham
  Posted on October 12, 2012 at 7:59pm
  Ive been a reader of this website awhile never commented on anything until now.
  When you say alot of young guys play fps Shooters become violent and go on shooting sprees????
  What world do you live i have never turned on the news and heard about a shooting spree caused by a video game.you say we? Who is we ? Is it you and your friends, co worker’s or did you just pull that statement out of you ****. just curious since there is absolutely no link to violence caused by playing fps shooters. I suppose your one of those people who think playing an online shooting game will make you an expert shot in real life to huh..jackwagon
  
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- Metallicat
  Posted on October 12, 2012 at 8:06pm
  sorry Canada, didnt realize its a retro gaming club.really retro. nice job standing up to the liberal DBs
  
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- Metallicat
  Posted on October 12, 2012 at 8:12pm
  I’m saying it CAN influence the type of violence someone takes IF/WHEN they snap and violently lash out. Alot of the guys I know who play FPS games do own guns and spend time shooting. I just spoke from my own experience with video game violence and its influence on the real world,after playing video games from its inception and noticing the trend of FPS games on the market and gun violence among American youth.
  
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- kevinj319
  Posted on October 13, 2012 at 7:10pm
  You’re right. I grew up playing Mario and now every time I see a turtle, I jump on it and throw it at passerby. Idiot.
  
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Dismayed Veteran
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 5:15pm
Them crazy Canucks.

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N37BU6
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 5:11pm
Wow, some hometown news.

Don’t mess with gamers… especially nostalgic ones.

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MCON29
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 5:01pm
A misunderstanding. They were only going with the information that the intelligence community gave them at the time. It was a moving picture. Their position changes as the facts became more clear/overwhelming critism of their ignorance.

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Ilikepeople
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 4:58pm
They must have got the money they wanted, or some other kick back. I say go ahead and pass 2nd Amendment restrictions – it will be China and Russia you’ll have to answer to. I’m not paying them one red cent to not pass laws.

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justangry
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 4:58pm
Wow, they’re still playing “Duck Hunt” in Canada. That game was cool in the 80′s, but…

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Walkabout
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 4:56pm
Ban the people, who make up the Student Government Association (SGAs), before they ban us.

SGAs are a breeding ground for busy bodies.

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762x51
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 4:55pm
I’ve played Duck Hunt a lot. The muddy kind with a dog and shotgun, never played the the toy version.

This is clear demonstration of the desire of the left to “dis-invent” firearms. I had to to go to my sons school once because he used his thumb and index finger to make a “gun” in the lunchroom. Try as I might, I simply could not take the self-righteous, sanctimonious liberal school administrator seriously about the “violence” that gesture represented. No one was ever harmed and it was fifteen years ago.

Zero tolerance is code for zero intelligence.

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- Zer0
  Posted on October 12, 2012 at 5:39pm
  “Zero tolerance is code for zero intelligence.” – Exactly.
  
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bdandsl
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 4:51pm
I am never surprised over the stupidity of people anymore.

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KickinBack
Posted on October 12, 2012 at 4:46pm
Duck Hunt!! Sometimes I miss my ‘ol NES.

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- 2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT
  Posted on October 12, 2012 at 5:08pm
  River Raid on the Atari 2600, Powerslave on the cassette player and a can of original Mt. Dew – pure 1987 heaven.
  
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- Silver Lining
  Posted on October 14, 2012 at 10:35pm
  My 20-something year-old kids are playing an old NES game as I type this… on the old system. Dear daughter points out, though, that the Zapper can’t be used on newer TVs (at least not LCDs in our home)…regrettably.
  
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