John Grisham's essay “Unnatural Killers” weaves the story of two teenagers in love (Sarah Edmondson and Benjamin Darras) into a killing spree that takes the life of one of Grisham's closest personal friends ( Bill Savage) and the mobility of another woman (Patsy Byers). Grisham argues that these teenagers were influenced by Oliver Stone's film Natural Born Killers and that "there is a direct causal link between the film Natural Born Killers and the death of Bill Savage" (577). While I have to concede some of Grisham's points, I still think that whether the movie (Natural Born Killers) had an influence on the two teenagers or not, it is still their personal choice to shoot those people. The blame should be placed on Darras and Edmondson because of their decisions, not on Oliver Stone because of the possible influence of his film. In his essay, Grisham makes many heated statements against Oliver Stone and his film, but I have to admit that one of the victims (Bill Savage) was one of Grisham's closest personal friends. This was most likely the reason for the heated tone of Grisham's remarks. In addition to Grisham's personal attachment to the shooting, he is also a lawyer and writer whose stories could have possible influences on people, therefore giving him a different perspective on the situation as a whole. My final concession to Grisham's essay is, as he acknowledges on page 573 of his essay, that he only has Sarah's testimony to use as a reference. Even with these concessions there are still many questions regarding the story of the two boys. The first of my questions should be about the questionable backgrounds of the kids. In his essay, Grisham makes a statement about the two boys saying, “upset as they were, Ben... middle of paper... the death of his friend, but that doesn't mean he can definitely blame the film by Oliver Stone. Because, as Marilyn Manson says in his essay “Columbine: Who's to blame?”, “If a child is old enough to drive a car or buy a gun, he is not old enough to be held personally responsible for what he does ? does he do with his car or his gun?" (730). It's simple, but it sends a clear message. People should be held accountable for their actions, because no matter how much they claim to be influenced, it's still their decision . Works Cited Grisham, John. “Unnatural Killers.” Models for College Writing. 7th ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell , Marilyn. "Columbine: Who's to blame?" The conscious reader. 11th ed. Caroline Shrodes, et al, 2009.