A Utah House committee has pushed forward a bill designed to keep violent videogames out of the hands of minors - a bill that has gamers nationwide up in arms, in part because of the controversial guy who wrote it.

The bill - HB353, labeled the Truth in Advertising Act Amendments - would levy a $2,000 fine to any Utah retailer that claims to monitor video-game sales to minors if they slip up and sell a copy of "Grand Theft Auto IV" to your 16-year-old nephew. (Here's a detailed legal analysis that argues the law won't work - and will likely leave Utah taxpayers with a huge legal bill.)

The bill was co-written by Utah Rep. Mike Morley (R-Spanish Fork) and Florida-based anti-game crusader Jack Thompson (pictured). It's Thompson's involvement that has gamers nationwide angry - because they've dealt with him before.

Thompson's history includes involvement in legal cases in Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama and New Mexico - all cases where suspects in violent crimes were believed to be inspired by video-game violence. He's also made incendiary statements linking video-game violence to the mass killings at Virginia Tech and other shooting sprees - leading critics to compare Thompson to amoral "ambulance chasing" attorneys.

Some gamers thought they would have heard the last of Thompson last September, when the Florida Bar stripped him of his license to practice law. But, as this interview with the gamers' blog Joystiq shows, the disbarred Thompson has not yet begun to fight.