TYLER PETERSON - Daily Herald | Posted: Friday, January 27, 2006 11:00 pm
With one more vote, popular video games like Grand Theft Auto would have been one step closer to being considered a crime for minors to even view.
But a bill that would have put "inappropriate violence" in the same class as pornography for minors failed to get off the ground in a rare 6-6 vote during a committee meeting Friday afternoon.
The bill would have added "inappropriate violence" to the list in the material harmful to minors law that already contains restrictions on pornography.
Those voting against the bill agreed with Rep. David Hogue, R-Riverton, that video game violence is a serious issue. But exposing minors to it in any form was too broad, they said.
"I believe we're going to have constitutional problems if we don't narrow this," said Rep. Lorie Fowlke, R-Orem.
As written, the bill provided an exception for any material proven to have "serious" artistic, political, scientific or literary value, but would have made everything else containing "inappropriate violence" intentionally exhibited to minors illegal, including books, television and movies.
Jim Olsen, executive vice president of the Utah Retail Merchants Association had fears the stores he represented would violate the law by simply putting the products on their shelves.
"There are so many parts of this bill that are so vague," said Robert Saunders, owner of a gaming cafe. "I don't understand how anything like this can hold up."
Despite the arguments, attorney and Rep. Scott Wyatt, R-Logan, said an amendment -- which the committee approved -- would make the bill constitutional by narrowing the scope of the bill.
"It doesn't have such a far-reaching effect as we might think," he told the committee.
Hogue cited articles that suggested links between violent video games and mass murders at schools across the nation.
He said he was disgusted at examples he found online from real video games: a woman with a pitchfork in her face, warriors burning prisoners alive or tearing victims in half, and young men sleeping with prostitutes for health and killing them for money.
"I think this is reasonable regulation," Hogue said. "We need to begin somewhere, or it just continues on."
HB 257: Material Harmful to Minors
Rep. David Hogue, R-Riverton.
Bill would add "inappropriate violence" to list of things illegal to show to minors.
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.