DALLAS — With every mass shooting comes mourning but also ultimately debate over who or what is to blame for them happening in the United States at such a high rate.

In Uvalde’s wake, a familiar culprit once again received partial blame.

Speaking at the National Rifle Association (NRA) convention in Houston just days after the shooting, Senator Ted Cruz mentioned video games as part of a decaying culture that breeds mass shooters.

This is not the first time that video games have been mentioned in connection with shootings. Former President Donald Trump and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick have also pointed the finger at video games following other recent shootings.

Is there a connection between the violent use of video games and mass shooters?

There is no strong connection between mass shooters and violent video games.

Several studies have been conducted on the subject, including research conducted by the Department of Education and Oxford University, neither showing a significant crossover between violent video games and gunfights. Even a Supreme Court decision included a quote stating that no connection to violence could be positively drawn to video games.

But the American Psychological Association has a Violent Video Games Task Force that studies the impacts of games on the people who play them. In a 2020 update of a 2015 resolutionthe APA stated that although there is a small association between violent gaming and aggressive behavior, this behavior shows no evidence of extension to more violent tendencies.

More CHECK: Yes, guns were the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in 2020