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MO legislator calls for tax on violent video games

nigeljohnwade
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flickr

A Republican lawmaker from rural Missouri is calling for a sales tax on violent video games in response to a deadly Connecticut school shooting.

Rep. Diane Franklin, of Camdenton, said Tuesday that the 1 percent sales tax would finance mental health programs and law enforcement measures to curb mass shootings.

The tax would be charged on video games rated teen, mature, and adult only by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

Franklin's proposal is the latest in a string of measures in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 20 students and six adults. Another Missouri Republican has filed a measure allowing teachers to carry guns in the classroom.

Similar legislation to tax violent video games failed in Oklahoma and New Mexico in recent years.

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