Supreme Court may block TV violence law

WASHINGTON, April 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court may block laws to ban violent content from TV, a media activist warns.

Robert Peters, president of Morality in Media, a New York-based advocacy group, said in a statement Thursday that because of the Supreme Court's position, a constitutional amendment might be necessary to prevent TV networks from screening ultra-violent material that could be harmful to children.

His call follows new concerns about the impact of graphic violence in the media following the Virginia Tech massacre of 32 people by a crazed gunman, the worst such case in U.S. history.

"As far back as 1946, when the Supreme Court invalidated a New York law (and by implication similar laws in 19 other states) that prohibited distribution of publications containing certain types of violence, the courts have been invalidating every law intended to protect children from violent entertainment," Peters said.

Morality in Media said the Supreme Court "is applying 'strict scrutiny' to laws that restrict speech based on content, and as the Court has said, 'It is rare' that any such law 'will ever be permissible.'"

Peters said the only way to for anti-violence activists to get legislation passed on the issue might be to persuade individual justices of the common sense necessity of their argument.

"Failing that," said Peters, "the Constitution will have to be amended to clarify that the First Amendment does not prevent government from enacting reasonable legislation to protect children from entertainment that is harmful to them."

Anti-violence in media advocates believe the widespread shock and impact of the Virginia Tech massacre may lead to a widespread grass-roots movement for action on the issue.