Screaming Penguin

District political, religious and community leaders gathered at a Southeast Washington church yesterday to support a proposed ban on the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors. They summed up their objections in a word: poison. "Why are they selling this game to our children?" said Ronald Moten, a leader of Peaceaholics, which mentors troubled youths in the District and Maryland. He and others drew a direct line between the make-believe mayhem in such video games as Grand Theft Auto and the very real pain they see in their neighborhoods. In Maryland, Del. Justin D. Ross (D-Price George's) introduced a bill that would subject vendors who sell or rent violent video games to minors to a fine of as much as $1,000 or six months in jail for each offense. Last year, Virginia legislators considered a bill that would have made the sale, rental, loan or commercial display of a video or computer game to a juvenile a misdemeanor if the game depicted violence against a law enforcement officer. Legislation is pending in Georgia. And in his State of the State speech yesterday, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) proposed making it illegal for anyone younger than 18 to buy violent or sexually explicit games.