Louisiana Game Law Blocked

[Brutuskend]

Louisiana Game Law Blocked
Daemon Hatfield
Mon Jun 19, 5:00 PM

Last week, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco signed videogame bill HB1381 into law. The legislation would have gone into effect immediately, but Federal District Court Judge James J. Brady has issued a temporary injunction blocking the law from taking effect in light of a lawsuit filed against the state by the Entertainment Software Association.

Drafted by everyone's favorite anti-videogame lawyer Jack Thompson, HB1381 seeks to define violent videogames as "harmful to minors," and as such would levy a fine of $100 to $2000 as well as a possible jail sentence on anyone selling such a game to a youth under the age of 17.

The lawsuit, filed as Entertainment Software Association et al v. Foti et al, will be heard by Judge Brady, and a hearing on the matter has been set for June 30.

"We are confident this bill will be found unconstitutional," said ESA president Doug Lowenstein, "as have similar statutes in other states... Legislators know full well that this bill is destined to meet the same fate as other failed efforts to ban video game sales."

Link comcast, so some may not be able to see it.

 

[KLin]

Alternate link

 

[UglyCasanova]

Fvck Blanco.

<-- Lives in Louisiana

 

[txrandom]

My friends cousin is Blanco, I'm going to have to talk to my friend...

 

[mugs]

Like such a law would have any effect at all? If parents didn't want their kids to have violent games, they wouldn't have them. Clearly the parents don't mind, so they'll just buy the games for their kids.

 

[Bateluer]

Heh, all the law would do is force the parents to be standing next to the minor in the checkout lane.

 

[Whisper]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Heh, all the law would do is force the parents to be standing next to the minor in the checkout lane.

Exactly. I honestly don't see the big problem here. If gamers under 17 want to buy the product, just bring their parents with them.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Whisper

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Heh, all the law would do is force the parents to be standing next to the minor in the checkout lane.

Exactly. I honestly don't see the big problem here. If gamers under 17 want to buy the product, just bring their parents with them.

The problem comes about when some kid in high school sells his old copy of Call of Duty to a friend, and gets slapped with a fine+possible jail time.

Unlikely, of course, but not totally implausible under such a law.

 

[Eeezee]

It should be a parent's responsibility to purchase the game for their kids so they know what their kids are playing.

This law won't change anything and only has the potential to cause problems, see jagec's post above mine.