The Public Has a Right to See the Nashville Shooter’s Writings

June 13, 2023

Government officials have neither the right nor the credibility to stand in the way.

by J.D. Tuccille Reason.com

Should authorities “protect” the public from the thoughts of violent criminals? Do victims’ families have a claim to suppress public records regarding assailants’ deeds? These questions arise as some people seek to deter mass attacks by denying attention to perpetrators—especially in incidents that may involve controversies over ideology, culture, and policy. The debate over releasing the Covenant School shooter’s manifesto is the most recent such example, and like all of them it should be resolved by acknowledging the public’s right to know.

After the lethal March 27 shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, police revealed that the attacker, Audrey Hale, left behind a written record of preliminaries to the crime.