Activists have spoken out in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting to demand stricter gun control laws in America, but actor Samuel L. Jackson is not one of them.
Jackson does not think lax gun control or violence in movies is to blame for shootings like the Dec. 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the actor explained: "I don't think it's about more gun control. I grew up in the South with guns everywhere and we never shot anyone. This [shooting] is about people who aren't taught the value of life." He does not think violent movies or videogames are to blame, either.
Jackson believes that parents and role models who instill the value of life in their children will accomplish more than legislation that reduces the number of firearms in the country, the L.A. Times reported.
The 63-year-old actor stars in one of the most gun-friendly films of the season, Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained." The film is about a slave-turned-bounty hunter (Jamie Foxx) who inflicts fierce revenge while on a quest to rescue his wife from a brutal slaveowner (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Director Tarantino also shifts blame from on-screen violence and he is tired of having to defend his creative license each time gun violence rocks the nation.
"I just think you know there's violence in the world, tragedies happen, blame the playmakers," he said at a New York press junket for the film on Saturday, according to the BBC. "It's a Western. Give me a break." He added that blame should fall on those who commit the crimes.
Actor Foxx took a different stance from Jackson and Tarantino on the shooting, telling the Associated Press, "We cannot turn our back and say that violence in films or anything that we do doesn't have a sort of influence. It does."
Film studio The Weinstein Company canceled the premiere of "Django Unchained" on Monday on account of the Connecticut school shooting, Reuters reported. The studio released a statement, reading: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the tragedy in Newtown, CT and in this time of national mourning we have decided to forgo our scheduled event. However, we will be holding a private screening for the cast and crew and their friends and families."
"Django Unchained" will hit theaters Christmas Day.