In the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., some politicians are trying to pass laws that would place a sin tax on violent video games. Connecticut lawmaker Debralee Hovey (R) has proposed a 10 percent sin tax on M-rated games, with the money going to the state’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. “In conversations, I’ve found many 9- to 12-year-old kids who are playing these M-rated games,” Hovey says. “They are way too fragile and malleable to be viewing this kind of realistic violence.” A similar bill was introduced in Missouri, which would charge a 1 percent tax on games carrying a T, M or AO (adult only) rating. (The Atlantic)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and two children. Follow him on Twitter.