League of Legends is currently the most popular game in the world with 30M+ monthly players, dwarfing most of its competition. It’s a fun title, but can have a dark side to it, namely its often toxic player base that can hurl abuse at unskilled players, or simply because they feel like it. It’s a part of the game, and though it’s irritating, isn’t anything to be particularly concerned about.
But on occasion, online misbehavior goes too far. Such is the case with Justin Carter, a teenager from Texas who has been jailed since February for something he said during a game of League of Legends. The quote? After being called “insane” by another player, Carter responded by saying:
“Oh yeah, I’m real messed up in the head, I’m going to go shoot up a school full of kids and eat their still, beating hearts.”
Though his comments were immediately followed by “jk” and “lol,” the threat was disturbing enough for Justin’s address to be tracked down. When it was revealed he lived near an elementary school, and this was taking place mere months after Sandy Hook, the authorities were contacted and Carter was arrested. He’s been in jail ever since, spending in 19th birthday behind bars for “making a terrorist threat.” If convicted, he could spend eight full years in prison for the comment.
His father says the potential punishment doesn’t match the crime:
“These people are serious. They really want my son to go away to jail for a sarcastic comment that he made…Justin was the kind of kid who didn’t read the newspaper,” said Jack Carter. “He didn’t watch television. He wasn’t aware of current events. These kids, they don’t realize what they’re doing. They don’t understand the implications. They don’t understand.”
I have a hard time believing than anyone could have completely avoided all news about Sandy Hook, as it’s sort of like making a joke about a bomb on a plane and saying you didn’t know 9/11 happened. Still though, he may be right about Justin’s fate. Should someone who is barely an adult spend eight years in jail for an angry offhand comment made in an online video game, however terrible the sentiment? Many don’t think so, and there’s currently a petition to free Justin that’s nearing 5,000 signatures. They’re pitching this as a freedom of speech case, and saying it shows how ridiculous the US’s anti-terror laws have become.
I’m not sure about the freedom of speech angle. You are not in fact allowed to say you’re going to shoot up a school full of kids in a public forum and expect no reprisals from that. But as for labeling Justin a potential terrorist, that’s where things get extreme. If there was no other evidence that Justin had any intention to follow up on this threat, detailed plans, weapon stockpiles, etc, it’s clearly just an offhand comment made by a dumb kid who thought he’d shock nine other people in an online game. His time served should teach him a lesson, and he should probably go to court ordered therapy or something similar. But spend eight years in jail for a one sentence comment? I just don’t think that’s in line with the spirit of the laws that are trying to protect our country.
