BOND: PUT HEAT ON HOLLYWOOD

U.S. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond accused the movie industry Friday of glorifying violence.

The Republican senator from Missouri said movies such as "Natural Born Killers" and "Basketball Diaries" send a bad message to troubled youth.

A fantasy sequence in "Basketball Diaries," shows a trench-coat-clad student walking into a classroom and shooting his classmates.

"This has turned into a glorification of student violence," he told reporters during a visit to Cape Girardeau.

Troubled youth are getting that message in movie theaters, on videotapes and on the Internet, he said.

Bond failed this week to get senators to add an amendment to a juvenile justice bill that would have created an independent commission to study the motion picture industry and find ways to get Hollywood to be accountable for film violence.

He said there needs to be a national discussion of the issue.

"I think we ought to talk about it. We ought to put the heat on Hollywood," Bond said.

"We don't need any more studies outlining the numbing effects that movies and television filth have on our children," said Bond.

He said no industry has done more than the motion picture industry to glorify the use and misuse of guns and violence.

Bond wants President Clinton and Congress to appoint a commission of up to a dozen members to look at what steps the government could take to reduce the quantity and restrict access to movies containing violent or pornographic material.

He said such a commission should look at criminal and civil liability laws and what legal redress can be taken against Hollywood in cases where film violence leads to destructive behavior.

The Missouri senator said more gun laws isn't the answer. The Clinton administration hasn't adequately enforced the gun laws already on the books, said Bond.

The senator said parents also have to take responsibility in raising their children. "But parents tell me they are overwhelmed."

Bond said it is hard for parents to instill good moral values in their children when violence is being glorified in the entertainment industry.

Bond isn't the only lawmaker attacking Hollywood these days.

In the weeks since two students killed 12 classmates and a teacher at a Colorado high school, Hollywood has been under fire from lawmakers.

The industry has been lumped in with tobacco, alcohol and guns as societal evils that require government intervention.

Violence in the nation's schools continues to be in the news. On Thursday, a 15-year-old boy upset over a broken romance shot and wounded six students at a Georgia high school.

"What I see is that we've fundamentally, as a society, moved to a culture that glorifies violence and death," said Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.

Brownback sponsored legislation to authorize an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department into whether Hollywood is marketing violent shows and games to children. The measure overwhelmingly passed the Senate earlier this month.

The Senate Wednesday passed a measure prohibiting federal agencies from granting permits for movie or TV filming on government property until they have considered whether the production "glorifies or endorses wanton and gratuitous violence."

The measure, approved 66 to 34, grants an exception for television news, public service announcements and depictions of historical events.

"America's children are exposed to incessant and endless hours of violent movies and television productions each year," said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who sponsored the legislation.

"Exposure to this violence desensitizes our children to brutality and killing and gives them `glamorous' murderous acts to emulate," he said.

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press.