Sacramento moves to repeal 1949 comic book ban targeting crime-themed content for minors

Don’t miss the full story, whose reporting from Sophie Austin at The Associated Press is the basis of this AI-assisted article.

Sacramento is moving to repeal a 1949 city ordinance that banned the distribution of certain crime-themed comic books to minors, a law that remains on the books but is no longer enforced.

Some key facts:

• Sacramento’s 1949 ordinance bars the distribution of comic books prominently featuring crime with images of illegal acts like arson, murder, or rape to children and teens.

• A City Council committee unanimously voted to advance the repeal and designate the third week of September as “Sacramento Comic Book Week.”

• The ban was created during mid-20th-century fears that comic books could lead to illiteracy or inspire violent crime.

• Similar bans were passed in cities across the country, from Los Angeles County to Lafayette, Louisiana, though they are rarely, if ever, enforced today.

• Comic book author Eben Burgoon started a petition to overturn Sacramento’s ban, arguing that antiquated laws could enable bad actors to threaten the medium.

• The California Supreme Court ruled in 1959 that Los Angeles County’s similar crime comic book ban was unconstitutional because it was too broad.

• Sacramento comic shop owner Lecho Lopez credits comic books with improving his reading skills as someone with dyslexia and helping him avoid gang involvement.

• Research on similar media like television and video games has not shown a link to clinically relevant changes in youth aggression or violent behavior, according to psychology professor Christopher Ferguson.

READ MORE: Comic books once stoked fears of crime, but a California city wants to confront that history