By a 130-10 vote, New York State bill A08696 proposes to jail retailers up to 4 years for selling violent video games to minors — the legislation passed in just a day. The State Assembly appears to be following suit after the passage of a similar bill by the Senate.
According to the Associated press, Senate Majority leader Joseph Bruno has called for a conference committee, so that the two houses may come to a compromise.
Somehow, the ridiculous notion that video games are dangerous and must be restricted has infected the ancient minds of members of both parties, and the support of such bills is strong and broad.
In response, the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) has publicly criticized both the bill and the legislators whose ill will allowed it to pass. EMA President Bo Anderson had this to say:
"This bill is ill-conceived and unconstitutional. The proposal to jail retailers and clerks for up to four years for selling certain video games to persons under age 17 is apparently based on misunderstandings about what retailers are doing currently.
The requirement that video game consoles include parental controls ignores the fact that the new generation of consoles include them already…
This bill is impermissibly vague. A8696 seeks to apply real-world standards of violence to the fictional and fanciful world of video games, an environment in which they have no meaning. As a result, retailers and clerks will not and cannot know with certainty which video games could send them to jail under A8696.
It was depressing to hear members of the Assembly note the constitutional problems with the bill and then state that they were voting for it."
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let’s read that last sentence again. "It was depressing to hear members of the Assembly note the constitutional problems with the bill and then state that they were voting for it."
If that is indeed a truthful statement, then there are SERIOUS problems with the state legislature in New York, and those particular individuals need to face some sort of repercussion for acting in a way that they believe to be unconstitutional. Willingly and deliberately acting against the Constitution is NOT cool. What the hell do we have one for?
Federal Court, please…make that Supreme, if need be.
