Last night, members of the community met at the State College Friends School, 1900 University Dr., to discuss gun violence in America, which speaker Dr. Alison Moll said was not only a crime issue, but a broader issue about violence in American culture.

"The problem with firearm violence is very serious in the United States," Moll said.

According to statistics presented in a slide presentation, only 10 percent of all deaths involving a firearm are actually crime related.

"It's not about crime," said Moll, as she displayed graphic slides of the victims of firearm violence. "It's about violence in our culture."

Of all victims of firearm violence, 50 percent are between the ages of 15 and 24. The rate of firearm related deaths involving youths is above the general population.

Contrary to the current media images, schools are still among the safest places for children, she said.

Moll warned people against the constant bombardment of violent images children face in movies, video and computer games and on the nightly news. "Video and computer games teach our kids to destroy enemies efficiently and impersonally," she said.

Although the rest of the world enjoys our movies and video games, other countries do not have such a severe problem with firearms, she said. The problem, she said, is there are too many guns.

"You can get a gun on any street corner. Guns are very accessible," she said.

"Every year, more Americans are killed with firearms than in the 11 year Vietnam War," Moll said.

Moll explained how in homes where a gun is kept for protection it is more likely to be used for suicide or homicide than for against an intruder. Only two percent of all killings committed with a firearm are in self-defense.

However, one man in the audience stood up and addressed the group by asking how many of them had ever defended themselves with a firearm — three people raised their hands. Earlier in the meeting, Moll asked the audience how many of them had been a victim of firearm violence or had known a victim personally — nearly half of the audience members stood up.

Police recommend a dog over a gun, Moll said. "No one has ever committed suicide with a poodle."

Moll described marketing techniques portraying guns as sexy and a measure of manhood. She also spoke of bullets designed by manufactures to have more "stopping power" or ability to kill.

"Hollow point bullets are banned by international warfare, but they are okay for citizens in the United States," Moll said.

There are currently over 200 million firearms in the United States. More than 50 percent of homes in the U.S. have guns in them, explained Moll.

"The presence of a gun can turn a moment of conflict or despair into a moment of death," she said. Penn State students in attendance also expressed their feelings about firearm violence in society.

"You see it so much you become desensitized to it," said Erin Quinn (junior-elementary education). "It's on the news every night."

The event, which was sponsored by the Million Mom March organization, was dedicated to reducing the number of handguns in society.