In a controversial move, the Washington Post decided to publish multiple extremely graphic photos from US mass shootings, including from the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newton, Connecticut. The images are both terrifying and sobering. Quotes from survivors help better paint the picture of what it is like to watch loved ones die while simultaneously praying the killer might spare your life.
Opinions vary greatly among Americans about the underlying cause of mass shootings and whether factors such as poor mental health services and lax gun laws are contributing to the continued epidemic in the United States. And when it comes to tragedy, does the public have a right to see graphic imagery, or should it have been saved for the victims' families?
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The photos evoke incredible emotion.
The newly released crime scene photos show churches, schools, and movie theaters bereft of people but underlying evidence they had been there. Many of the photos show the blood of victims scattered on the floors and walls. Bullet holes freckle walls, and shards of glass from blown-out doors and windows cover doorways.
Thinking that people were just going about their day prior to the devastation depicted is heartbreaking.
Then there are the survivors' memories.
The Washington Post included witnesses' reactions to mass shootings, including those at schools. Some had no idea what was happening at the time.
Abbey Clements, a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary, recalled, "I heard what sounded like metal chairs falling, and I figured that was for the holiday program or something."
"I could hear a little girl say, 'Officers come in, we're in here,' and she sounded far away so I knew it was in the other room. And she said that once. And then maybe two or three minutes later, she said it again," Robb Elementary teacher Arnulfo Reyes remembered. "And then I just heard him walk into that other room. And he shot some more. So after that I didn't hear her no more. And so I had figured he had killed her."
Some parents think showing these images to the public is wrong.
CafeMom spoke with parents about their reaction to controversial images like these being released for public consumption.
"I do not believe the graphic images of horror and devastation at Robb Elementary should be available to the public," Heidi H. says. "The victims of this heinous crime are children and parents. I only feel that they cause excessive trauma to the surviving members of these victims' families."
She adds that she doesn't think publishing images will stop a school shooter.
"I do not think photos of blood and gore will deter another psychologically damaged person from repeating this kind of terrible crime. I feel they are solely being shown to increase viewership/readership of their media and I think it's shameful," she says.
Others have mixed feelings.
Holly G. tells CafeMom that as a parent, her opinion is complicated.
"When images like this are released, I truly hope there is no way my child is going to see them, because it is terrifying. My heart also goes out to the parents of these children — to be unable to escape these tragedies must be unbearable, I can't even imagine," she shares.
But the images also give her hope.
"There is a hope that being inundated with these images might finally get through to one of the politicians, policymakers, and lawmakers who have the ability and responsibility to make change," she says. "How many more images do they have to see until they decide our kids are more worth protecting than guns?"
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A third group thinks publishing these kinds of images is actually a good idea.
Although they are hard to look at, the images are also powerful. It's the kind of power that many people think will make a difference.
"No one likes to see this kind of picture, but we have to be realistic about what is happening in our world, particularly here," Molly S. explains. "If we don't get better mental health services in place and get these kinds of weapons off the street, nothing will change. People need to look at that and start to get proactive instead of reactive."
Opinions are personal, and it's impossible to say whether the Washington Post made the right call, but it is safe to say that everyone agrees enough is enough when it comes to mass shootings.
