Will banning Grand Theft Auto reduce carjackings?
As we have written in the past, carjackings have dramatically increased over the past year around the country, particularly in Chicago. In January of 2021, this year, there were 218 carjackings in Chicago. Most of these crimes were committed by young people under the age of 18, with some as young as 10 years old. As a result, one of the responses from a Chicago lawmaker is to ban the very well-known game, Grand Theft Auto. This is not the first time this game has been banned and there is a limited amount of evidence that playing violent video games leads to actual crime. Furthermore the game is now at least 6 years old in its most recent version. Since many people download games now for their consoles and computers, banning purchase of the game disk in Chicago or Illinois as a whole may not really affect sales much. According to ABC7 news, State Representative Marcus Evans, who is sponsoring the bill, stated:
"'Grand Theft Auto' and other violent video games are getting in the minds of our young people and perpetuating the normalcy of carjacking," Evans said. "Carjacking is not normal and carjacking must stop."
“The bill would prohibit the sale of some of these games that promote the activities that we’re suffering from in our communities.” Evans said.
“I feel like this game has become a huge issue in this spectrum,” Walker said. “When you compare the two, you see harsh similarities as it relates to these carjackings.” ('Grand Theft Auto' ban? IL representative proposes banning popular video game, says it contributes to Chicago-area carjackings)
Does playing Grand Theft Auto lead to actual carjackings? Will banning sales of the game lead to a decrease in carjackings in Chicago? Read the articles below to make up your own mind.
Questions: Should GTA be banned and will this lead to fewer carjackings?
Ban sale of Grand Theft Auto, other violent video games, state rep says
Illinois may ban ‘Grand Theft Auto’ to stop carjackings
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