Entertainment Council Re-Launching Initiative to Focus on Consequences of Gun Violence

Group's trustees include extensive list of TV and movie top execs

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/20/2012 11:20:22 AM

Look for more TV shows and movies to feature the mental health and other consequences of gun violence in their plot lines.

In the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings, the Entertainment Industries Council (EIC) said Thursday it is re-launching an initiative to use TV and movies to address issues related to gun violence.

EIC is a nonprofit whose board of trustees reads like a Who's Who of entertainment execs, from Barry Diller and Leslie Moonves to Sherry Lansing and Kim LeMasters.

While Washington policymakers have been focusing on the issue of media violence's role in real-life violence, the group is emphasizing the power media can have on stopping that violence by portraying the consequences and helping discourage gun violence through stories that deal with the mental health consequences.

"Lethal violence is out of line and now harming the psyche of our nation. The entertainment industry is an asset in positioning the needed range of human passion, emotion, hope and concern," said EIC president Brian Dyak in a statement.

EIC says it will be a resource for writers looking for input on story lines and characters that address the issue of the effect of gun violence on kids, and suggests it is a way to address the concern in Congress over the issue.

"As Congress becomes embroiled in public policy debates and research is undertaken, it is essential there be clear action steps taken within the entertainment community to affect attitude and behavior, and promote understanding," Dyak said in a statement.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D- W.Va.) has introduced a bill calling for a violence study, and the congressional efforts are not likely to stop there.