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Argument: No tradition of protecting children from depictions of violence

Issue Report: Ban on sale of violent video games to minors

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BROWN, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA, ET AL. v. ENTERTAINMENT MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION ET AL, Opinion of the Court (June 2011): “California’s argument would fare better if there were alongstanding tradition in this country of specially restrict-ing children’s access to depictions of violence, but there is none. Certainly the books we give children to read—orread to them when they are younger—contain no shortageof gore. Grimm’s Fairy Tales, for example, are grim in-deed. As her just deserts for trying to poison Snow White, the wicked queen is made to dance in red hot slippers “till she fell dead on the floor, a sad example of envy and jeal-ousy.” Cinderella’s evil stepsisters have their eyes pecked out by doves.”[1]