TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A new bill in Florida's legislature would stop government agencies from releasing recordings from acts of mass violence.
That bill applies to photos, video, and audio that show people being killed.
It's inspired by last year's school shooting in Parkland that left 17 people dead.
Senators voted 40-0 to approve the bill, which defines a "mass violence" event as involving the deaths of three or more people, not including perpetrators.
It would create a public-records exemption for photos, video and audio recordings in such situations.
"There are a lot of people who are appalled at the attempts by a lot of people to get access to this information to use it for commercial purposes or for nefarious purposes, and the impact it has on victims," said State Senator Tom Lee.
The goal is to protect victims' families from trauma and to prevent the images or recordings from inspiring others to kill.
A similar House bill has cleared committees and is available to be considered by the full chamber.
