Time Warner Cable banning select gun ads

Cable telecommunications company Time Warner Cable will no longer allow certain ads featuring weapons to run on their provided channels, Multichannel reports.

"We no longer accept ads showing semiautomatic weapons and guns pointed at people," Time Warner Cable said. "We stand by this policy. If it's essential to a business owner to show this kind of imagery in their commercials, there are other advertising options in the marketplace."

The statement does not specify whether Time Warner Cable's policy also applies to virtual weapons, which could affect video game ads. Time Warner Cable covers more than 1,000 different channels in 28 states, including TNT, Nickelodeon, SyFy, MTV, Spike TV, Discovery Channel and HBO.

In wake of the Sandy Hook shootings, businesses and government alike are struggling to find answers to questions of gun control and media violence. President Obama recently called for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct research into the relationship among video games, media images and violence.