Subject: Re: Deja Vu all over again
Lock them up, people.
A band-aid, but it would help. Problem is that many parents not only don't lock them up, but actually give them to their kids (e.g. the Sandy Hook shooter).
Yes, I agree that the parents of minors who go on rampages should be punished as if they were the shooters. The Crumbleys got off easy, IMHO.**
My father kept a 5-shot .38 in his sock drawer. I knew where it was before I even hit puberty. BUT...he was very strict about firearm safety. So I knew better than to point it at anyone, play with it, or anything else. The most I ever did was show it to my best friend at the time. Still...it should have been locked-up. Pretty sure they had gun safes available in the 70s.
**Caveat: I don't know all the details of their involvement and/or negligence. I know that they bought the kid a firearm, and it is alleged they knew about his mental condition. There could be a lot more to know about this case, but just buying the kid a firearm was (IMHO) irresponsible. A minor has no business owning, or even accessing, a firearm without adult supervision. Though that wouldn't have stopped the Virginia Tech shooter (he was college-age).