Violent Video Game Tax Proposed After Parkland Shooting

[the game]

As America looks for answers in the wake of the shooting massacre of 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, some politicians have returned to the 1990s tactic of blaming video games for violence. Kentucky governor Matt Bevin started the show a couple of days after the shooting, and on Wednesday, Rhode Island state representative Bobby Nardolillo took it a step further.

Nardolillo proposed legislation that would put a 10 percent tax on video games with an ESRB rating of Mature or higher, Rolling Stone reported. That tax revenue would be used to fund “counseling, mental health programs and other conflict resolution activities” in schools, according to the press release on Nardolillo’s Facebook page.

Both Nardolillo and Bevin have high ratings from the NRA. It is not controversial to say that many of the most popular video games are violent; five of the top 10 selling games of 2017 were about shooting guns and three of them would be taxed under Nardolillo’s proposed regulations. However, to this point, science has not reached anything close to a consensus that gaming can lead to violence.

In fact, plenty of research indicates the opposite. Around 70 percent of high school students play video games, but only 20 percent of school shooters do, according to USA Today. Columbine shooters Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris famously enjoyed violent video games, but data suggests they were the exception when it comes to those who commit gun violence at schools. It could also be noted that some other countries where these games are sold do not have the same gun violence problem as the United States.

Regardless of scientific backing or lack thereof, the constitutionality of laws regulating the sale of violent video games would also be questionable. In a landmark 2011 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that California could not ban the sale of violent games to anyone under 18, effectively giving games the same protected free speech status as movies and music. Retailers still typically do not sell M-rated games to anyone younger than 17 without a parent present, but it is not illegal to sell those games to minors in and of itself.

http://www.ibtimes.com/violent-video...ooting-2656111

[Mifuyne]

What about tax on violent movies?

It's quite dumb tho.
Some people are more susceptible than others, wether they read it in a book, see it on the tv, see it in a game or see it in RL.
Are violent video games a possible trigger? Absolutely.
Are they at fault? Absolutely not.

Work on the root of the issue instead of slapping tax on random triggers.

[XDurionX]

What about a high tax on guns and bullets?

[the game]

What about a high tax on guns and bullets?

guns and video games aren't the problem. The problem is bad people. Even if you take away guns they will find a way to do bad things.

[Deleted]

Reminds me of the cigarette industry. Instead of acknowledging that smoking cigarettes could actually start fires, if you dropped a lit one while dosing off or something equivalent, they instead spent quite a bit of money, and infiltration into the various fire departments; to instead try and shift the blame on furniture being too easily ignitable and burned too quickly.

Also I am very interested who is going to win, the NRA or the video game lobbyist.

[XDurionX]

guns aren't the problem.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/f...uns-and-death/

[Unholyground]

Even if you take away guns they will find a way to do bad things.

True but it is a lot harder to get away with.

- - - Updated - - -

Actual studies and research has shown multiple times that video games do not cause increased violent tendencies.

But who cares about facts when you have religious republican narratives to push, hm?

It won't pass, the video game industry brings in more money that the US government does every year and they would not cripple the industry like that.

[Video Games]

The dumb part is that includes games that don't even have guns in them

[Zelk]

damn kids beheading their peers with old ps2 discs caused this

[Lochton]

http://www.ibtimes.com/violent-video...ooting-2656111

If tax comes extra on this, what about movies? Music? Sports?

Can't blame games for someone like this, heck, the government were warned about the fuckhead.

[Deleted]

guns and video games aren't the problem. The problem is bad people. Even if you take away guns they will find a way to do bad things.

That is probably the reason why in European countries there are countless school massacres committed with knives and clubs right. Oh wait...

[Osmeric]

A tax on violent video games would be content-based restriction on speech, and is a 1st Amendment nonstarter.

This clown needs to learn some constitutional law.

[pateuvasiliu]

guns and video games aren't the problem. The problem is bad people. Even if you take away guns they will find a way to do bad things.

It's much harder to kill 20 people with a kitchen knife than with a fucking desert eagle.

[Daedius]

All these mass shootings are committed by males... Let's tax all males!

Scapegoating stupidity at its finest... more so when they claim to be "looking for answers".

[szechuan]

What about a high tax on guns and bullets?

Let's not try to actually Tackle Gun Violence! Let's just Tax Video Games for more $$$.

This is clearly something Florida Republicans are pushing for because they want more money.

[morbidari]

It's much harder to kill 20 people with a kitchen knife than with a fucking desert eagle.

You underestimate the tenacity of a human intent on harming others.

[pateuvasiliu]

You underestimate the tenacity of a human intent on harming others.

You do realise that if a guy started stabbing 5 others would take him down, right? A knife is not a rifle.

[Moozart]

Shows like the Punisher could have contributed nothing to this, it was only video games...

[Deleted]

guns and video games aren't the problem. The problem is bad people. Even if you take away guns they will find a way to do bad things.

Humans are animals. Why do people keep forgetting this you can make all the laws you want but we will always find a way to kill each other. You will never eradicate murder or rape or theft you can only make them harder to do meaning a person needs to be more determined to do it. If killing was totaly legal and easy Probly 50% of us would have killed some one by now in our lives but because it hard I imagine non of us have but we all have a limit where no matter how hard to do or how harsh the punishment we would kill.

I think it was carl jung that pointed out most people don't obey the law because there good people. They obey because there cowards to what will happen to them after.

[Deleted]

http://www.ibtimes.com/violent-video...ooting-2656111

Anything to avoid actually dealing with the actual problem. I hear people LOVE more taxes though. Ignorantass fucking dinosaurs.