In the wake of mass shootings, the family and friends of many victims have advocated for the media to withhold names and photos of shooting suspects to keep the focus on those injured and killed, and to avoid giving shooters their 15 minutes of fame. Now, a new Chrome extension called Zero Minutes of Fame aims to do just that.
When a user adds the extension to the Chrome browser, the first and last name of a shooter is replaced with the text "name withheld out of respect for the victims."
The extension was launched Wednesday by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which estimates that 30% of mass shootings and 22% of school shootings are "copycat" acts inspired by previous gun violence events.
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“We’ve had #ENOUGH of seeing killers’ names and images plastered all over the media,” said Dan Gross, President of the Brady Campaign, in a statement. "Instead of rewarding killers and inspiring copycats, we should be lifting up the stories and the lives of victims, heroes, and survivors. The fact is, notoriety serves as a reward for these killers and as a call-to-action for others who would seek to do similar harm in the name of infamy."
The extension works with all major news outlets, according to the Bradley Campaign's description, and also encourages users to sign a petition calling for the media to cease publishing the names and faces of shooters.
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"If the media continues to give these killers their 15 minutes of fame, then it's time to take matters into our own hands," the plugin's description states. "By simply downloading this plug-in, you can wipe away the killer's name and image from your screen, and replace it with something that truly deserves our attention —the victims."
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The Brady Campaign was founded by Sarah Brady and her husband Jim, who was shot in the head and permanently paralyzed during the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981. The couple worked to pass the Brady Bill in 1993, which requires federally licensed firearm retailers to conduct background checks for all handgun purchases.
[H/T CNN Money]
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