Senator Introduces Unconstitutional Bill To Ban Sale Of Certain Video Games To Minors
from the apparently-wants-to-challenge-the-constitution dept
We were just talking about how New York State was about to become the latest in a long line of states to waste taxpayer money fighting for an unconstitutional law requiring video games to be labeled and also banning the sale of certain video games to children. Nearly a dozen states have tried to introduce similar legislation, and every time they've been rejected by courts as unconstitutional. Every time. There is simply no excuse for politicians to introduce another one of these laws. The courts have been clear that those laws aren't just unconstitutional, but can even be harmful to children.Now we've got the federal government getting in on the game as well. I was just looking over some of the latest bills introduced in Congress via the always excellent Washington Watch and what do I see, but a newly introduced bill in the Senate that would require "age-based content rating labels" and ban the sale or rental of games with adult content to minors. Of course, video games are already rated via a voluntary rating system (same as movies), and most video game stores already ban the sale of such games to kids. Plus, oh yeah, there's that whole First Amendment issue.
So, what, exactly does Sen. Roger Wicker hope to accomplish in introducing such a bill, other than to potentially waste taxpayer money in a lawsuit that will clearly be lost?
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Filed Under: bans, first amendment, roger wicker, senate, video games
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More accomplishments of...
Yah. Shall we throw them a party with cake?
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Re: More accomplishments of...
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Constitutionality aside - where's parental responsibility?
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Re: Constitutionality aside - where's parental responsibility?
OK. So how is a law preventing your children from bypassing you and buying it themselves a problem? Granted, some of them want to ban the sale of unrated games entirely, which is silly, but banning their sale to children makes sense to me. Same for the ones that are actually rated for adults (or "Mature" or whatever) of course.
If they're making it a crime for the parents to buy such games for their children, I'd say that's going too far. But I just don't see the problem in trying to prevent children from buying games with content their parents might object to, without going through them...
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Re: Re: Constitutionality aside - where's parental responsibility?
Where does it end?
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Re: Re: Constitutionality aside - where's parental responsibility?
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Re: Constitutionality aside - where's parental responsibility?
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why are some movies rated G, PG13 or NC17 (i think thats what they are called in the US) any different from those laws about games?
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anyways i believe thats its the parents responsibility as Mike C already mentioned.
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You're correct on that but possibly unaware that the MPAA is not a government-mandated organization. Organizations like the AMA (American Medical Association), etc. are independent of the government, but they get their power through laws giving them that power by various governments. So they are government-mandated and their decisions have the force of law.
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you have a 3rd party deciding that x person is too young to watch the movie or play the game.
in any case if parents this that there children can play the game they go to the shop and buy it, same as movies although you could still be intercepted at the door.
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With the present system, the ratings are merely recommendations, not absolutes.
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why are some movies rated G, PG13 or NC17 (i think thats what they are called in the US) any different from those laws about games?"
Movies in the US are given those ratings on a voluntary basis by the MPAA. Not by any government agency or government-mandated agency. There is no legal requirement for any movie to be rated.
In Canada there are boards in individual provinces that are responsible for rating movies. In most other countries there is a national board that does the same thing.
So to answer your question: Movie ratings are not governed or required by federal or state laws in the US.
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why are some movies rated G, PG13 or NC17 (i think thats what they are called in the US) any different from those laws about games?"
Those rating generally aren't required by law, they're completely voluntary.
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Who Cares?
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Re: Who Cares?
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WTF
You can put the responsibility of making-children-not-smoke-cigars also on parents, right?
US is a strange country. Government has no powers, but still is powerful. Give up some of your "freedom" for good! (like bearing arms etc)
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It's obvious
He hopes to accomplish re-election. By the time this law is challenged and dismissed as unconstitutional, he'll have accomplished his primary purpose. The ultimate disposition of the law is beside the point.
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Senator Roger Wicker Republican - Mississippi
OK, Wicker wants to stop kids from getting violent games. But why should he stop there. Let him introduce a bill to stop anyone under 18 from shooting a real gun. That would go over real well in Mississippi.
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Movies have sales restrictions
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A suggestion
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Saying that keeping minors from buying these games is harming them, is just plain stupid.
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The laws that keep getting overturned on constitutional grounds attempt to allow the government to decide what is and what is not appropriate for children, instead of letting parents decide.
Saying that keeping minors from buying these games is harming them, is just plain stupid.
Attempting to shelter kids from violence until they're 18 is unrealistic and dangerous.
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THIS IS AN MPAA CONSPIRACY
Notice that they aren't making it illegal to take your child into a R rated movie (I've seen this done far too often; bad parenting). Only the one industry...
*Gets tin foil hat*
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Where's Mom and or Dad?
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Yep, quite true. Sadly enough
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If parents actually did their job - you know, like PARENT - the govt and these brain dead politicians wouldnt have to worry about stupid bills.
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http://www.kotaku.com.au/games/2008/07/watch_how_misinformed_australia_is_about_video_games .html
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