It's been a while since a state has proposed regulating sales of video and PC games (perhaps because all of the previous attempts have been deemed unconstitutional) but the state of Rhode Island now has a bill going through its state legislature that, if passed into law, would impose fines and perhaps even some jail time for retailers that sell games that are rated "M" or "AO" to minors.

As expected, GamePolitics reports that the Entertainment Software Association has already announced its opposition to the bill, saying, "This bill is the same as all the other legislative proposals found unconstitutional by numerous federal courts." What is unexpected is that the bill is also opposed by former Florida attorney and video game critic Jack Thompson. He's quoted as saying, "Since 1930, it has been unconstitutional to restrict the sale of entertainment products to anyone based upon a private sector standard, which the ESRB ratings are." However he hasn't made a big change in his attitude towards games. Thompson will be giving his advice to Rhode Island lawmakers in an attempt to make their bill pass muster.