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Is Horror Author Stephen King a Hypocrite For Condemning Guns?

Jan. 28, 2013 9:45pm Tiffany Gabbay

In the wake of the Newtown shooting, the issue of gun control has been front and center in the American psyche and political landscape. While some activists are indeed well-meaning, others may be using the tragedy to politicize their respective agendas.

Celebrities who have glorified violence in their books, films or music and who later speak out against guns, are now accused of a particular brand of hypocrisy in this regard. One such person is prolific author Stephen King, who has just penned an expansive 25-page essay titled “Guns.”

In the work, King criticized the NRA for promoting violence and said its members should be the ones required to clean up the gruesome remains at the next mass-shooting. Given the gruesome nature of many of King’s novels and screenplays, the statement, of course, will rub more than a few the wrong way.

“To claim that America’s culture of violence is responsible for school shootings is tantamount to cigarette company executives that environmental pollution is the chief cause of cancer,” King stated.

Glenn Beck opened Monday evening’s segment with a clip of King’s famed thriller movie, “The Shining,” to showcase what he feels is the author’s hypocrisy in this matter. King has indeed become a wealthy man by publishing a myriad books and screenplays, many of which showcase disturbing, violent themes.

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (70)

NigelTufnel
Posted on January 29, 2013 at 12:30am
Tipper Gore’s war on the record industry came up a little short in banning sexually explicit lyrics and coupled with violence and the label result was a boom in those types of lyrics. While Def Jam owes it’s very existance to Tipper, it was the White Boys defending freedom of speech. Rob Halford, John Denver, Dee Sneider, Ozzy Osbourne and many more were drug into that court room. Tipper even compared some lyrics to Nuremburg rallies. I didn’t think that hag was that old. Bottom line is the f bomb is common place now in music. There is always a straw man. But the straw man is ALWAYS at least a loose extention of the conservative party or a fad of that era. Prentender Chryssie Hynde wrote “My City was Gone” to protest the construction of US 30 by then GOP Governor Jim Rhoads. Obama’s stimulus couldn’t lay down enough pavement and Chryssie slovenly approved. Tipper ignored black music but Judas Priest was the music of white conservative boys ready to denounce government authority at any moment. This isn’t anything new. Hollywood, left wing slovs. are getting a pass on this one and we should expect nothing else.

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- Gonzo
  Posted on January 29, 2013 at 8:36am
  Rock on Nigel…and turn it up to 11.
  
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MarkLucas
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:51pm
So King publishes a book called “Rage” which was directly linked as inspiration to several school shootings, has another book built around a mass school killing by a “misunderstood loner” (Carrie), and has several other stories where little kids get killed (It, Pet Cemetery, numerous others), and he doesn’t believer that he or any other entertainment media have any culpability?

Horrific indeed

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Advection
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:29pm
He blames law abiding citizens and the Constitution for violence, while simultaneously absolving himself? This guy’s life work has been to make violence seem cool. What an AH.

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TotallyNotATroll
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:26pm
Hollywood full of hypocrites? no way, I don’t believe you

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TADTAD
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:25pm
I’m surprised that King, as a freak looking dude himself, didn’t shoot up a school when he was a punk.
Just calling ‘em as I see ‘em.

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- circleDwagons
  Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:40pm
  He wrote a short story about a teenager who did shoot up a high school. Really like some of his work but he can keep his political views to himself.
  
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- Dismayed Veteran
  Posted on January 29, 2013 at 11:39am
  Anyone who can generate so many violent books really needs to have serious counseling. Think what his imaginings are like.
  
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Brother Winston Smith
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:17pm
Is Glenn Beck a hypocrite for condemning guns, by SUPPORTING republican gun-grabbers (Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney), REJECTING 2nd amendment champions (Ron Paul)… then criticizing OTHER PEOPLE… for condemning guns (Steven King)?

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Bodacious_Boedi
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:04pm
What talent King had disappeared when he cleaned up and got off the coke and booze. I’m not kidding….have you ready anything worthwhile from him since Desperation?

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- MDECKER
  Posted on January 29, 2013 at 12:28am
  If King writes a book, just detailing his looks, it would be his best selling book ever! I met him Florida some years ago and hadn’t been so terrified since watching the “Creature from the Black Lagoon”.
  
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nighttrainno9
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:55pm
Anyone that has read Kings books over the years knows he’s a complete
“nerd”. He’s been afraid of the monster in the closet since he was a child.
He definetly doesn’t have a set of balls and that shows in all his interviews
and bit parts in movies. As with most people in the northeast he has no idea
what the real world is like. It’s way past time to make the northeast their own
country and let them drown in the slime.

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spirited
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:47pm
This man has most certainly enjoyed The Bill Of Rights….. -hasn’t he though.

King needs to check the facts about who is responsible for leaving gruesome remains at the mass-shootings.

Keep talking creep…..–It’s legal.

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DZ-015
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:46pm
Every one of Steven King’s books I have read contained significant flaws. Many also were derivative of works by other authors. It’s not surprising that he has taken this position on guns. I bet he has armed security anytime he wants it.

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- Cavallo
  Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:55pm
  I think it got worse after he got hit by the van. I am still rather annoyed at how he mucked up some of the Dark Tower. I enjoyed the ending, but the last few books of the series seemed overly mastabatory, especially when he wrote himself into the story. His latest works have been really subpar. If he ever had that spark of creativity it’s diminished.
  
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- Smokey_Bojangles
  Posted on January 29, 2013 at 2:39am
  Considering how many people armed themselves in his books…. An Inhaler may work on an imaginary giant Clown/Spider but when it comes to very real criminals I prefer Smith and Wesson or Even Springfield. He ruined any kind of literary credibility with me when in ‘The Green Mile” the bully at the retirement home had a bumper sticker that said “Newt IS God.” No republican would have a bumper sticker saying anybody,especially a politician, is God.
  Just another rich Champagne Socialist and Caviar Communist.Net worth $400 million.
  
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Thundergod
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:43pm
The First Person Shooter gaming franchises “Call of Duty”/ “Modern Warfare”/”Black Ops” are far more responsible for gun violence than the NRA,if anyone is to blame, other than the criminal pulling the trigger. Stephen King is only blaming the NRA by default,because they protect the second amendment and promote shooting sports,and stand in the way of his pinko commie master from disarming America and fulfilling their socialistic dreams.

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- AtheistLoveChristmasToo
  Posted on January 29, 2013 at 9:55am
  You are a moron if you believe that.
  
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cliKKer
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:37pm
Shouldn’t Vans be banned… since a nut job ran into him while he was walking. Since we don’t blame the individual but the “tool” Also I assume he has given up his security? I mean when a crazed fan came into his house and his wife had to jump out the window…. he would have been ok with her just calling the police and telling the man… shoe shoe go away….. In Maine he bought a radio station and made it a liberal talk show station since it can’t function on its own…. he has to subsidize it. Hypocrite.

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DoOrDie
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:32pm
Does a bear **** in the woods?

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The Third Archon
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:32pm
“Celebrities who have glorified violence in their books, films or music and who later speak out against guns, are now accused of a particular brand of hypocrisy in this regard. One such person is prolific author Stephen King, who has just penned an expansive 25-page essay titled “Guns.”

In the work, King criticized the NRA for promoting violence and said its members should be the ones required to clean up the gruesome remains at the next mass-shooting. Given the gruesome nature of many of King’s novels and screenplays, the statement, of course, will rub more than a few the wrong way.”
See, here’s the problem with this idiocy–there’s a DIFFERENCE between FANTASY and REALITY, and if you can’t understand the difference then you are what we call SCHIZOPHRENIC. JUST because violence is PRESENT in novels or other media, does not mean it is a “celebration,” “endorsement,” “encouragement,” or “glorification” of violence. There IS a difference between violence in a VIRTUAL reality that doesn’t ACTUALLY carry the objective consequences of violence, and violence in REALITY. Please appreciate the distinctions–they ARE meaningful, they AREN’T that hard to grasp.

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- NigelTufnel
  Posted on January 29, 2013 at 12:48am
  Reality is quickly being diminished in our society. If Mantei Teo’s actions can’t spell this out to you then nothing will. For Mantei, grasping reality has been a huge challenge.
  
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bobbyikerd
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:32pm
My 1st comment ever and it had to be about a number one hypocrite. I don’t know what made him an expert on weapons. But if he is under some illusion from the demons he writes about, he has lost his way. Thank God for my freedom that seems to be shrinking.

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- CatB
  Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:23pm
  Welcome .. and he has promoted more carnage than any law abiding citizen with a gun or guns for that matter. I get it … he likes the First amendment … the Second not so much.
  
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Thundergod
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:22pm
The NRA has been part of my life since I was in the cubscouts. The only thing they ever pushed on me was gun safety and responsibility. Never did they instruct me to use a gun on another human being. Their instruction and influence never implanted dreams of mass shooting sprees in my head. Its the violent movies and video games that glorify mass shooting sprees.

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VoteRightDammit
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:07pm
Well, of COURSE he is an hypocrite …

But more to the point he is an IDIOT.

IDIOT because he:
(a) Actually thinks, because he is an accomplished writer of fiction, he has something worthwhile to say about our country and how it should be run. Gosh – sounds all sooooo much like Hollywood mongrels, doesn’t it? Could it be King hopes to some day be just LIKE those actors & actresses, and thinks if he misbehaves as do they he will some day be accepted by them?>??
(b) Believes he will not hurt his brand (and, thus, his standard of living) by opening his yapper and piZZing off over half the population?

HINT, Stevo: Shut up and write. Your opinions on things other than authorship are no more valued than is mine or any other individuals. Using your little bully-pulpit to promote your oddball notions is going to cut into your petty cash. Be smart. SHADDAP.

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- Cavallo
  Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:17pm
  His works have been going downhill for years. Even the Dark Tower series jumped the shark when he egotistically wrote himself into the novel. He’s lost the ability to create anything worthwhile of entertaining quality, so flails screams like a toddler about issues he knows nothing about.
  
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- VoteRightDammit
  Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:24pm
  Maybe this is just residual brain damage from being run over.
  
  Let’s hope so.
  
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Cavallo
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:06pm
King has no concept of real horror. The horror of the fascist autocracy him and those like him design for us is a greater horror than even HP Lovecraft could visit on his most hapless fictional victims. The slow starvation of the Marxist gulags, the Socialist gas showers and ovens, the empty pits full of dead men, women and children. There is no grater horor visited upon mankind than the vile twisted and souless monsters of the Left.

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- dwilco77
  Posted on January 29, 2013 at 1:42am
  Good thing he is not a very good writer because the first thing to go in those Societies were what was considered to be intellectuals. He should be pretty far down the list. He at least won’t be on anybody’s radar for awhile.
  
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godhatesacoward
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:04pm
I have NEVER seen any promotion for violence from the NRA!

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Brother Winston Smith
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 9:57pm
As much as Glenn Beck’s a hypocrite for supporting republican progressives, while smearing conservative/libertarians, and CLAIMING to be “conservative/libertarian” opposition TO progressivism.

A WHOLE LOTTA HYPOCRITE.

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RDavis49
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 9:56pm
IMO anyone and I do mean anyone who has made a living by using and/or portraying the use of guns in movies and the turns around and demands gun control is a HYPOCRITE. Anyone who owns a gun, has used a gun for self defense, makes a living by carrying a gun or any other purpose and supports gun control legislation in ANY form is a HYPOCRITE, plain and simple.

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h20sue
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 9:55pm
Very much a hypocrite. Personally I think he’s insane. No wonder he can write such books. His mind is absolutely gone to the dogs. Sorry Mr. King, but I don’t agree with your thinking.
Nor will me or my husband be purchasing any more of our novels. I’m sure there are plenty hypocrites that agree with you, but the buck stops here as far as increasing your income.

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RANGER1965
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 9:55pm
King has always been a strong liberal. In this he’s been very consistent. The bad guys when political, are always right wing conservative types.

Still I love much of his work. The Stand is simply one of my all time top 10 books.

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- 0317
  Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:56pm
  I agree with the Stand being on of my top 10 also but King can keep his left wing liberal views to himself. Same with Springsteen, used to be good then tried to mix his music and politics and lost me.
  
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- Diane TX
  Posted on January 29, 2013 at 12:20am
  “The Stand” is my favorite, too. It is a novel about good vs evil, and in the end, good wins.
  
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- Jake Dog2
  Posted on January 29, 2013 at 1:23am
  I agree The Stand was his best work, but a lot of his work has gone way down hill in the last few years.
  To bad he had to come out on such a controversial issue and put is foot in it. I think he may be trying to shake the crap off it for a long time.
  
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civilwarcometh
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 9:53pm
Never liked this guy.. Here’s something funny…..http://weaselzippers.us/2013/01/28/gop-rep-marsha-blackburn-challenges-obama-to-skeet-shooting-match/

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whatthecrazy
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 9:52pm
Hypocrite,two faced,repugnant,evil,liberal,slimey,wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley creepy.or whatever…………….

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