Lawmaker Wants To Ban ‘Grand Theft Auto 5,’ Released 2013, Claims It’s Responsible For Increased Carjackings
Chicago, Illinois has spiked with carjackings this year just about 2 months in and carjackings in 2020 increased to more than 135% compared to 2019. An Illinois lawmaker believes a video game is responsible for the spike and that banning the ‘Grand Theft Auto’ video game which has been out since 2013, will decrease it.
Grand Theft Auto first release date was in 1997 and the game has continually gained popularity with its latest release in 2013. Polygon reported, “After its wildly successful launch, the game averaged around 15 million copies sold a year, had a brief dip in 2018, then jumped to about 20 million last year [2019].”
According to Chicago Tribune, “Through Jan. 10, the latest city data, Chicago police recorded 61 carjackings. That is compared with a total of 22 in the same time period in 2020. Carjackings in 2020 rose about 135%, to 1,415 in 2020 from 603 in 2019.”
“The gangs are using these vehicles because they feel they can’t be traced,” South Chicago District Capt. Michael Murphy told the Tribune in early January. Murphy’s patrol district saw carjackings jump in 2020 to 97 from 36 the year before. “They can do their crimes, whether it be shootings or whatever it is, and then dump the car.”
Fox32 Chicago reported that people have been saying for months that teens are running around the city ‘carjacking motorists like it’s a video game’ and now that lawmakers are ‘doubling down on that idea, saying video game Grand Theft Auto should be banned’
Fox32 reported, “Some of the carjacking suspects are not even old enough to drive. On Monday, a 16-year-old was charged and days ago, two 15-year-olds were arrested and charged as well.”
The lawmaker, Illinois State Rep. Marcus Evans met with Philanthropist Early Walker who says violent video games similar to GTA could be ‘influencing their young minds’. Evans and Walkers met to draft legislation to amend a 2012 law which prevents some games like GTA from being sold to children in Illinois.
Based on the 2012 law, the video game Grand Theft Auto already was not allowed to be sold to minors because of its ‘mature’ rating which someone 17 or older has to purchase the game.
A Twitch streamer took notice to Fox32 using his footage to show how the video game looks.
SilentSentryTV tweeted, “They used a clip of my RP (Role Play) character Ziggy getting robbed on Fox News to help demonstrate how ‘ViOlEnT ViDeO GaMeS ArE CaUsInG ViOlEnCe!’ Life milestone unlocked?”
They used a clip of my RP character Ziggy getting robbed on FOX News to help demonstrate how "ViOlEnT ViDeO GaMeS ArE CaUsInG ViOlEnCe!" Life milestone unlocked? @LordKebunhttps://t.co/HMDVYaAAu5
— Sentry (@SilentSentryTV) February 23, 2021
The bill would amend the definition of what is considered a ‘violent video game’ to where someone is able to control the character in a game that is able to ‘encourage to perpetuate human-on-human violence in which the player kills or otherwise causes serious physical or psychological harm to another human or an animal.”
Many can argue other games can fit the definition where the user has control of any character in other games like Mario Kart where you shoot bombs at another character while driving or even Super Mario Bros, jumping on a turtle to ‘kill’ the character.
Walker specifically focused on Grand Theft Auto and thinks the game has become a ‘huge issues in this spectrum’ and he said to Sun Times, “When you compare the two, you see harsh similarities as it relates to these carjackings.”
Walker is also with a campaign called Operation Safe Pump, which focuses on stopping carjackings at gas stations and shopping centers by getting private security guards in areas where many car jackings happen.
