BOSTON -- Citing an increase in violent crimes in Boston and surrounding communities, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is calling for a ban on the sale of violent video games to minors.

There have been 13 killings in Boston so far this year, and four in the city of Brockton, a few miles south of the city, the Boston Herald reported, and most of the victims have been teenagers.

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Brockton State Rep. Christine E. Canavan has co-sponsored a petition to outlaw the sale of violent games to minors. The petition will get a hearing before the Legislature's Joint Committee on Judiciary on Tuesday.

Such a ban wouldn't get passed without a fight from gaming industry officials who say the bans are unconstitutional. They say it's up to parents to monitor the games their children play.

A similar ban was knocked down in court in Louisiana in 2006 after a judge said the videos fall under the First Amendment's free speech protections.

It's against the law to sell pornographic or obscene video games to minors, but no such ban exists for overly violent videos.