{"id":164979,"date":"2021-02-23T16:01:33","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T21:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=164979"},"modified":"2021-02-23T16:14:23","modified_gmt":"2021-02-23T21:14:23","slug":"illinois-lawmaker-wants-to-ban-grand-theft-auto-claiming-its-responsible-for-increased-carjackings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/illinois-lawmaker-wants-to-ban-grand-theft-auto-claiming-its-responsible-for-increased-carjackings\/","title":{"rendered":"Illinois Lawmaker Wants To Ban \u2018Grand Theft Auto,\u2019 Claiming It\u2019s Responsible For Increased Carjackings"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fillinois-lawmaker-wants-to-ban-grand-theft-auto-claiming-its-responsible-for-increased-carjackings%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=164979&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-480877775.jpg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Chicago, Illinois has seen a spike in carjackings in 2021, even though carjackings in 2020 increased more than 135% compared to 2019. To combat the spike, an Illinois lawmaker has proposed banning \u201cGrand Theft Auto,\u201d a video game that hasn\u2019t had a new entry in almost a decade.<\/p>\n<p>By the end of January, new records were being set in the city when it came to carjackings, the Chicago Tribune <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/news\/breaking\/ct-viz-chicago-carjackings-2021-20210118-vtdkxj3gmbhsjpu636w64unmz4-htmlstory.html\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough 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,\u201d the outlet reported.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe gangs are using these vehicles because they feel they can\u2019t be traced,\u201d South Chicago District Capt. Michael Murphy told the Tribune. \u201cThey can do their crimes, whether it be shootings or whatever it is, and then dump the car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In total, Chicago saw 218 carjackings in January 2021 alone.<\/p>\n<p>Fox 32 Chicago <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox32chicago.com\/news\/illinois-lawmakers-want-to-ban-grand-theft-auto-amid-spike-in-carjackings\">reported<\/a> that some in Illinois are blaming the video game series Grand Theft Auto for the recent spike, even though the franchise hasn\u2019t had a new entry since Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online were released in the fall of 2013. While the games have received downloadable content and updates since then while maintain a massive regular fanbase, the lack of a new, headline-generating frenzy contradicts the idea that the video game is responsible for Chicago\u2019s crime wave.<\/p>\n<p>Still, activist and philanthropist Early Walker suggested the game could be at least partly responsible, and met with Illinois state Rep. Marcus Evans to draft legislation that would \u201camend a 2012 law preventing some games, including GTA, from being sold to children in Illinois,\u201d Fox 32 reported.<\/p>\n<p>The Chicago Sun-Times <a href=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/platform\/amp\/news\/2021\/2\/22\/22295471\/grand-theft-auto-illinois-ban-violent-video-games-carjackings-evans-operation-safe-pump\">reported<\/a> that Evans\u2019 new bill would amend the 2012 law \u201cto ban the sale to anyone of video games depicting \u2018psychological harm,\u2019 including \u2018motor vehicle theft with a driver or passenger present.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Presumably, Grand Theft Auto was already banned from being sold to minors under the 2012 law and due to its \u201cmature\u201d rating that means one must be over 17 to purchase the game.<\/p>\n<p>The bill would also amend the definition of what constitutes a \u201cviolent video game\u201d to include one where players \u201ccontrol a character within the video game that is encouraged 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One could argue that even games that aren\u2019t mentioned as violent, such as Super Mario Bros., would be included in this definition, since it features a human character occasionally jumping on turtle-like creatures.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Walker blamed Grand Theft Auto specifically.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like this game has become a huge issue in this spectrum,\u201d he told the Sun-Times. \u201cWhen you compare the two, you see harsh similarities as it relates to these carjackings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Walker is behind Operation Safe Pump, a campaign to stop carjackings at gas stations and shopping centers by placing private security guards in areas where a lot of carjackings have occurred.<\/p>\n<p>Chicago was one of many major U.S. cities that spent much of 2020 denouncing police as racists and seeking to \u201cdefund\u201d them. As with those other cities, violent crimes surged as police were demonized and hampered, The Daily Wire\u2019s Emily Zanotti previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/104-shot-14-killed-in-chicago-weekend-violence-other-defund-the-police-target-cities-see-major-gun-crime-incidents\">reported<\/a>. After the \u201cDefund the Police\u201d movement became popular in 2020, the U.S. saw the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/report-2020-saw-the-largest-percentage-increase-in-homicides-in-american-history\">largest percentage increase<\/a>\u201d in homicides in American history.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the police criticism that resulted in riots, the pandemic has also seen schools in major cities shut down for extended periods of time, leaving kids often unsupervised at home.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><em>member<\/em><\/a><em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chicago, Illinois has seen a spike in carjackings in 2021, even though carjackings in 2020 increased more than 135% compared to 2019. To combat the spike, an Illinois lawmaker has &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2274057,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-480877775.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Illinois Lawmaker Wants To Ban \u2018Grand Theft Auto,\u2019 Claiming It\u2019s Responsible For Increased Carjackings","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-164979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-480877775.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Illinois Lawmaker Wants To Ban \u2018Grand Theft Auto,\u2019 Claiming It\u2019s Responsible For Increased Carjackings","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2274057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=164979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}