72nd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2003 Regular Session
 
NOTE:  Matter within  { +  braces and plus signs + } in an
amended section is new. Matter within  { -  braces and minus
signs - } is existing law to be omitted. New sections are within
 { +  braces and plus signs + } .
 
LC 2028
 
                         Senate Bill 400
 
Sponsored by Senator MESSERLE, Representatives BROWN, KRIEGER,
  VERGER; Senator DECKERT, Representative HUNT
 
 
                             SUMMARY
 
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the
measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to
consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor's
brief statement of the essential features of the measure as
introduced.
 
  Prohibits owner of video game arcade from allowing person under
18 years of age to operate violent video games.
  Punishes violation by maximum imprisonment of one year, $5,000
fine, or both.
  Refers Act to people for their approval or rejection at special
election held on same date as next primary election.
 
                        A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to video games; and providing that this Act shall be
  referred to the people for their approval or rejection.
  Whereas the American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry, the American Medical Association, the American
Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics
have concluded that viewing entertainment violence can lead to
increases in aggressive attitudes, values and behaviors,
particularly in children; and
  Whereas the American Medical Association, in its policy
statement on mass media violence and film ratings, encourages its
members to speak out against the excessive portrayal of violence
in the entertainment media, including video and computer games;
and
  Whereas the FBI, in its report entitled, 'The School Shooter: A
Threat Assessment Perspective' (September 2000), lists '
fascination with violence-filled entertainment' and spending '
inordinate amounts of time playing video games with violent
themes' as warning signs of impending gun-related school
violence; and
  Whereas recent academic literature corroborates the findings of
earlier studies that exposure to violent video games produces
aggressive behaviors in children and young people; and
  Whereas growing evidence of the harmful effects of violent
video games led the 106th Congress to investigate the impact of
these games on minor children; and
  Whereas violent point-and-shoot video games are such effective
combat simulators that the law enforcement and military
communities use them extensively to train soldiers to accurately
and effectively shoot real humans in combat; and
  Whereas, in the short term, playing a violent video game
appears to affect aggression by priming aggressive thoughts; and
 
  Whereas long-term effects are also likely as each violent video
game player learns and practices new aggression-related scripts
that can become more accessible for use when real-life conflict
situations arise; and
  Whereas in July 2000, the American Medical Association, the
American Psychological Association, the American Academy of
Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry issued a joint statement, warning that more than 1,000
studies point overwhelmingly to a causal connection between media
violence and aggressive behavior in some children; and
  Whereas research by the National Institute on Media and the
Family indicates that children who play violent games see the
world as a more hostile place, argue with teachers more
frequently, are more likely to be involved in physical fights and
do not perform as well in school; and
  Whereas surveys by the National Institute on Media and the
Family indicate that only 24 percent of adolescents say their
parents 'always' or 'often' limit the amount of time children are
allowed to play video games, while 43 percent say their parents
'never' impose time limits; now, therefore,
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
  SECTION 1.  { + (1) As used in this section:
  (a) 'Transportation services' includes but is not limited to
representations of cars, buses, trains and aircraft.
  (b) 'Video game arcade' means any public facility where arcade
or video games are provided for entertainment, including but not
limited to fairs, movie theaters, restaurants, shopping malls,
hotels, schools and carnivals.
  (c) 'Violent video game' means an arcade or video game that is
a point-and-shoot video simulator that involves one or more
individuals firing simulated guns at a video screen that depicts
human silhouettes, lifelike representations of human beings,
transportation services, commercial structures or residential
structures.
  (2) An owner of a video game arcade may not permit a person
under the age of 18 years to operate a violent video game. + }
  SECTION 2.  { + Violation of section 1 of this 2003 Act is a
Class A misdemeanor. + }
  SECTION 3.  { + This 2003 Act shall be submitted to the people
for their approval or rejection at a special election held
throughout this state on the same date as the next primary
election. + }
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