Every time a mass shooting or horrific act of violence occurs, the news cycle repeats a familiar mistake: the alleged killer’s name, photo and personal details dominate the headlines. Their image is broadcast, their background dissected, their twisted “fame” cemented.
Instead, how about we elevate the victims and embrace the heroes?
We cannot continue feeding notoriety to individuals who seek it through killing the innocent. Their names should never be publicized, in my opinion. Law enforcement agencies, the police, FBI and courts must know for purposes of investigation and justice, but beyond that, their identities should remain sealed.
Their families, their neighborhoods, their schools should not be dragged into the spotlight. Only the mortician needs to confirm the name on a death certificate.
When the media glorifies killers, knowingly or not, it amplifies their legacy. It gives them exactly what they wanted: attention, infamy and a place in history. Worse, it plants seeds in the minds of unstable individuals looking for their own moment of “recognition.”
Instead, the focus must remain on the victims, the heroes, the first responders, and the families and communities that are shattered yet resilient. We should only know their names, tell their stories and honor their lives.
Please America, let’s together pass federal legislation to prohibit the mentioning and magnification of the inhumane humans who chose to violently and tragically end multiple lives and shattered the lives of so many others.
America needs to draw a hard line! Mass murderers should vanish into anonymity. Let their names die with them.
Editor’s note: Arizona native Philip Rankin “Randy” Cooney is designer of America’s National Unity Flag signed by the entire U.S. Senate. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
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