INDIANAPOLIS | Senators decided to hold off on a proposal that would have restricted the sale of adult-rated video games to young people after the legislation's sponsors said they could not find a way to write the bill without violating constitutional rights.

The Senate voted Thursday to send the issue to a study committee. Bill sponsor Sen. David Ford, R-Hartford City, said he hoped the study committee could come up with a bill that could pass a future session of the General Assembly and withstand a legal challenge on constitutional grounds.

The legislation would have imposed fines up to $1,000 if retailers sold or rented video games rated mature to those under 17 or games rated adults only to those younger than 18. Court rulings have struck down previous efforts to restrict game sales.

Retailers and the video game industry say voluntary restrictions are working. But bill sponsor Sen. Vi Simpson, D-Bloomington, said the industry is not doing enough.

"Eventually we're going to have to deal with it," she said.

A Senate committee that approved the original bill watched clips of violent games this week. One video game clip showed a character urinating on victims and setting them on fire while a narrator made racial comments. Another featured a character gunning down people in church, while another "rewarded" players who reach a certain level with video clips of real topless strippers.