According to CNN in May 2003, the state of Washington was the first state to ban the sale of videos to minors that involved violence against cops.
This NY Times article from August 2007 discusses why this is a state law vs. Federal, and also the views of those for and against the idea.
The states continue to examine the idea; MSNBC reported this month that New York will form an advisory committee to determine what, if any, action should be taken to regulate violent videos sold to young people.
The China Post reported last week that an18 year old high school student admitted that he wanted to compare how easy it was to rob a taxi driver in real life, by recreating a scene from a video game called Grand Theft Auto. Unfortunately the taxi driver died from his stab wounds and the teen could face the death penalty. The distributors have halted sales of the game in Thailand.
Many put significant emphasis on the influence of violent games and television shows. Others would like to see more input/responsibility from parents, teachers, and other adults in positions of responsibility -- to teach kids about consequences and taking responsibility for their actions. What do you think?
If you'd like to read more, here are a couple popular books on violent crime:
