Assemblyman Proposes Legislation to Curb New Jersey Minors’ Access to Mature-Rated Video Games
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
In the days and months following Aurora and Sandy Hook, Save Jerseyans, you’ve heard us lament the inadequacy of the Left’s response: a myopic attack on the Second Amendment.
What they haven’t wanted to address is the violence rampant in the entertainment industry, largely because that industry’s members generally support their causes! So you’d never see most liberals suggest curtailing Hollywood’s First Amendment rights.
Asm. Sean Kean (R-Monmouth) is trying to turn this dynamic on its head….
Kean introduced two new pieces of legislation on Wednesday in Trenton. The first bill would prevent stores from selling video games with ESRB ratings of “mature” or “adults only” to kids under the age of 18. Violators could be fined up to $10,000 for a first offense and, thereafter, as much as $20,000 for each subsequent offense. But that’s just the beginning. This bill would also allow the N.J. Attorney General to issue “cease and desist” orders and grant punitive damages.
The second bill would create an exception, permitting minors to purchase games containing mature content if their parent or guardian is present AND grants verbal or written consent; if this step is skipped, the penalties from bill #1 would apply.
Nanny state nonsense? Or long overdue?
Let’s hear from you, Save Jerseyans….
Yawn, blaming video games… never mind that those same games are available all over the world…
Nanny state garbage, and unworthy of the Republican party. This is a parental decision and responsibility, not a government one.
The only thing more ridiculous than this proposal, is the fact that people believe violent video games play a significant role in spree shootings. Millions of kids play these first-person shooters, and don't grow up to shoot up schools. Violent video games are not the problem…