Why do people feel threatened by Dungeons & Dragons?

When I was a kid, there was a lot of talk about Dungeons & Dragons games getting out of control and kids killing each other. Religious leaders denounced it as evil and demonic. It seems like every few years there is a news story about some danger from D&D. Now convicts are restricted from playing it because it supposedly fosters gang activity. I don’t understand why people want to blame this game for societies problems.