Poll: Most say Congress shouldn't regulate movie violence

Americans believe by an overwhelming margin there is too much violence depicted in movie and television advertisements, but an even higher number says Congress shouldn't get involved, according to a new poll from the Hollywood Reporter.

The survey, taken in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings that left 26 dead, found that 7 in 10 Americans over the age of 30 say there is too much violence in advertisements. Of those surveyed, 46 percent said Hollywood should make fewer violent movies, including 51 percent of parents.

But 3 out of 4 respondents say neither Congress nor the president should pressure Hollywood to scale back violence. While over a third of respondents favor new restrictions on violence, the tide is firmly set against federal intervention.

That could put the public at odds on the package of legislative proposals expected to emerge from Vice President Biden's working group on preventing gun violence. President Obama has asked the commission to recommend a set of legislative solutions, and the president has repeatedly indicated that he wants the group to examine cultural depictions of violence.

"We're going to need to look closely at a culture that all too often glorifies guns and violence," Obama said at a speech announcing the group's formation last month, adding that the effort would "begin inside the home and inside our hearts."

The survey also showed that 44 percent of parents say the Newton, Conn., shootings made them more aware of the violence their children were consuming. And the poll found a partisan divide when asked who was more to blame for gun violence; 68 percent of liberals said gun lobbyists held more responsibility than Hollywood, while 74 percent of conservatives said the opposite.

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