Connecticut Considers Task Force On Violent Video Games Post-Massacre
HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Connecticut lawmakers are being urged to forbid arcades and other establishments from allowing children under 18 to operate point-and-shoot video games on their premises.
Lawmakers are considering legislation which would also create a task force to study the effects of violent video games on youth behavior.
The bill was discussed Tuesday during a public hearing before the Legislature's Children's Committee.
New Haven Sen. Toni Harp said she has no doubt there's a link between such games and violent behavior exhibited by youth. She said they desensitize children to gun violence.
A group of media trade associations known as Media Coalition, Inc., calls the bill unconstitutional, saying video games are fully protected speech.
Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old man who killed 26 children and educators in Newtown, played violent video games but it's unclear what lead to the massacre.
Last week, sources who spoke to CBS News Correspondent Bob Orr said Lanza was apparently obsessed with Norwegian gunman Anders Breivik, who killed seventy-seven people in July, 2011 during an attack in downtown Oslo and at a teen summer cap.
Sources indicated that Lanza wanted to top Breivik's death toll, and chose Sandy Hook because it was an easy target with a large cluster of people. Lanza may have intended to kill more but was interrupted when police responded to the shooting.
Share your thoughts in the comments section below...
(TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
