“More than one a day.”

That’s how often, according to the New York Times, a mass shooting involving at least four people, who are either injured or killed, happens in the US. Out of all those shootings, more times than not, it is the guns-person that the public sees plastered all over media. While everyone can learn everything about the killer, ranging from age to common hobbies, the public eye is never given as much insight on the victims and the lives that were lost in the same event.

I believe the acknowledgment we allow the murderers is a leading factor into the problem and also a cause of a lot of the pain that comes with death. By simply not stating the name of the killers and not publishing information/pictures of them we can begin to help the situation and the healing process that comes after a mass death.

Think of this scenario: One day a man causes a mass murder. For the next week, everyone sees this man on the news, his name on everyone’s lips and his picture all over social media. Everyone sees this in the community, including the victim’s family, who is already struggling enough to move past the death, and a woman who begins to crave the same infamy this man is receiving. She goes and commits a mass shooting, and now she is all over the news; the harsh cycle begins again.

Obviously, people who are willing to kill and harm others aren’t exactly in the right state of mind. When some people see others receiving fame, it can drive them to want the same attention. Fame isn’t something a murderer should be receiving, it should be jail time and that is it.

According to “Names of Infamy,” by David Brin, notoriety is a motive for killers. Whether it’s wanting attention, or wanting to one up the murderer prior to them, it’s clear it is something creating a problem.

Not only does Notoriety gift the attention to the criminal, it creates more heartbreak to the victim’s family. While they are already trying to mourn their loved ones and move past the death, they can’t help but see the person who caused their pain. This only makes that victim feel trapped, like this criminal is still in control of the victim’s life, even after taking it.

So, by simply not publishing and glamorizing the killers of mass shooters, people can make a huge prevention of causing or continuing pain. Not releasing the picture and giving notoriety to a horribly sick person could even possibly stop rep cuing incidents.