Letter: Public should see reality of horrorifying events

The Daily Herald protects its readers by not printing photos of victims of mass shootings. The paper does not use photos showing the carnage and horrific damage done to the human body by assault weapons. I appreciate the Daily Herald's respect for the feelings of survivors. Yet, we have to ask, does withholding photos of the carnage desensitize readers?

Is it a disservice to the public, particularly to those of us, including political leaders, who think bullet damage is just a hole with some blood, like you see in the movies.

Was it not the photo of Emmet Till's bloated face that motivated a reaction? Did photos of Emmet Till's brutalized body trigger an awakening and a serious conversation about the brutality of racism in America?

Right now we need to see the brutality caused by ammo from assault weapons. We need to see how it tears the bodies and blasts away the fragile faces of 6-year-olds and 10-year-old promising artists.

Americans and their political leaders will not have an honest discussion about the value of assault weapons in the hands of citizens, when they don't see the damage assault weapons do to bodies, both surviving bodies and dead ones.

Judith Royal

Arlington Heights