SouthingtonSOS, a group in a Connecticut town about 30 miles from Newtown, the site of the Sandy Hook school shootings, has announced a "Violent Video Games Return Program," which will also include CDs and DVDs, for January 12th.  The Greater Southington Chamber of Commerce will provide gift certificates donated by member businesses in exchange for "Violent Video Games, CDs, and DVDs."

The group says that items turned in "will be destroyed and placed in the town dumpster for appropriate permanent disposal."

While stating that the event "is not intended to be construed as statement declaring that violent video games were the cause of the shocking violence in Newtown on December 14th," the group’s statement does argue that videogames and violent media are causing social ills.  "[T]here is ample evidence that violent video games, along with violent media of all kinds, including TV and Movies portraying story after story showing a continuous stream of violence and killing, has contributed to increasing aggressiveness, fear, anxiety and is desensitizing our children to acts of violence including bullying," the statement said.

Plans for the event were disseminated electronically by the Board of Education to the homes of local parents. 

An earlier videogame turn-in campaign was begun in Newtown by 12-year-old Max Goldstein, the Hartford Courant reported.  The child, who had been a fan of Mature title Call of Duty, urged kids to "choose not to play," and dispose of their violent videogames in a provided bin.

Goldstein’s mother, Roberta Mittleman, described videogames as not "a root cause," but a "contributing factor" to the school shooting.

Both campaigns envision the destruction of the games that are turned in (whether by literal burning or not).

A senator has proposed a new bill to conduct a study on any link between violent videogames.