14 DAY TRIAL // California Senator Leland Yee, the main sponsor of the law that sought to ban the sale of violent video games to children, has reacted to the decision of the United States Supreme Court to declare the law unconstitutional, saying that he regrets the ruling and that he plans to reintroduce legislation that would have the same effect.
A press release from Senator Yee reads: “Unfortunately, the majority of the Supreme Court once again put the interests of corporate America before the interests of our children.”
The elected official adds, “While we did not win today, I am certain that this eight year legislative and legal battle has raised the consciousness of this issue for many parents and grandparents, and has forced the video game industry to do a better job at appropriately rating these games.”
The law was set to make it a criminal act to sell a violent video game to anyone who was under the age of 18, with the fine set at 1,000 dollars for each breach of the law.
The law was signed by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005 and was then blocked by a federal judge who said it violated the First Amendment.
The case then went to the Supreme Court which decided that the law was in breach of the United States Constitution by a majority of 7 to 2.
Yee believes that the decision of the Supreme Court will allow video game publishers and retailers like Wal Mart to make “billions of dollars” while the titles they sell affect the safety of communities and destroy the mental health of those who play it, more so if they are under 18 years of age.
Yee is set to now review the positions of the two Supreme Court judges who agreed with the law and see whether there's any way of formulating a ban on the sale of violent video games to children that does not violate any constitutional provisions.