Sacramento Repeals Decades-Old Ban on Giving Comic Books to Minors

The city council unanimously voted to remove the 1949 ordinance that prohibited distributing comic books depicting violence to children.

Jan. 28, 2026 at 10:47pm

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The city of Sacramento, California has repealed a 73-year-old ordinance that made it illegal to give comic books featuring violence or crime to minors. The law, adopted in 1949, was rarely enforced in recent decades, but local cartoonist Eben Burgoon led the effort to remove it, citing free speech concerns as graphic novels have faced bans in other parts of the country.

Why it matters

The repeal of this outdated law is seen as a victory for free expression and the growing comic book scene in Sacramento, which hosts an annual comics showcase at the Crocker Art Museum. Similar laws in other cities, like Los Angeles County, have previously been ruled unconstitutional.

The details

The Sacramento City Council voted unanimously this week to repeal the 1949 ordinance that prohibited anyone from giving a minor a comic book "that prominently featured crime or depicted violent acts." The law was adopted at a time when some feared comic books could lead to illiteracy or violence in children, but has not been enforced in many years.

  • The Sacramento City Council repealed the ordinance on January 29, 2026.
  • The original ordinance was adopted in 1949.

The players

Eben Burgoon

A Sacramento-based cartoonist who led the effort to repeal the outdated comic book ban.

Sacramento City Council

The local governing body that unanimously voted to repeal the 1949 ordinance prohibiting the distribution of violent comic books to minors.

Crocker Art Museum

The Sacramento art museum that hosts an annual comics showcase called CrockerCon.

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What they’re saying

“We wanted to get rid of it and then when we started to see some more freedom of speech issues occurring. Some more graphic novels lately have been become, like, the most banned book across the country. And knowing that this law was on the books, it just felt like-- why wait until this turns into a calamity or a problem for a local store or a comic book author like myself? The city loves comics. Why not be a little proactive, get it off the books?”

— Eben Burgoon, Sacramento Cartoonist

The takeaway

The repeal of this decades-old ban on distributing comic books to minors in Sacramento represents a victory for free expression and the city's growing comics community. It also prevents the potential for future legal issues or censorship around graphic novels, which have faced bans in other parts of the country in recent years.