Excuse me. What is wrong with giving a kid a gun? Just because you don’t hear does not mean it is odd or unusual. I am from a rural area and got my first rifle at 12. |
Did you also have hallucinations and homicidal thoughts that you disclosed to your parents? |
Giving a CHILD a LETHAL WEAPON is wrong, you idiot. |
No it was not a major mistake. It was a negligent parent who ignored many signs that there were problems with her child. She willfully disdained paying attention because she was more interested in her own life. When he was 8, his parents would leave him along for hours, going out eating and drinking. He told her he was hallucinating. He texted asking for help. She didn't even respond. Several times he texted her, but she frequently ignored his texts to spend time with her horses or going out with her AP. She paid more attention to her horses and her swinging lifestyle than she did to her child. Her child had multiple incidents at school. She never attended any parent-teacher conferences to talk about his progress, lack thereof, or behavior in school. Her son's only friend moved away. She did nothing. Child was isolated, withdrawn and had no friends. She never spoke with him, but instead of talking with him to evaluate his mental state, they bought him a gun. Yes, her husband was responsible for gun safety, but she never ever paid enough attention to learn where the combination was or to check that it was still on the factory setting of 000 On the day of the killing spree, she was called in to work, saw a very disturbing drawing by her son, and then insisted she couldn't take him home or work on getting him medical treatment, she had to go back to work, despite her boss testifying that they had a very lax workplace and she could have brought him back to work or taken the rest of the day off with a phone call. But she insisted that if the school would not let him go back to class, that he would have to walk home alone and be home alone without anyone. She saw the horrifying drawing that included the gun that they had given him 4 days before and didn't think to ask him if he had the gun or tell the school he had such a gun. It was not a major mistake. She was grossly negligent as a parent and that was why she was rightly convicted. |
If the kid goes on to kill someone with that gun, the parent should 100% be responsible. |
+1 |
Very good point |
Where do you draw the line? If they didn't give them the guns but gave them $50, is it the parent's fault? What about if they have to work late and aren't home to watch the kid? There is so much gray here. |
. DP. Why does there need to be a line? As you said, it’s a gray area. Judge on a case by case basis. |
x100000 |
JC did nothing, in fact she put her head in the sand, checked out, and continued her life as if her child wasn't crying out for help, continuously. If only there was a way to control who has kids just to check boxes, and kids who are genuinely wanted. It is unfair to unleash their wrath on everyone else. |
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I've been thinking about this case a lot. By all accounts, the woman was a terrible parent and made really awful choices. I don't disagree that she abdicated her responsibilities and bears some blame for what happened.
BUT. I invite you to read the special needs forum. There are many parents that do mean well and still seem to be throwing their hands up. And I get that. Mental illness is not something you plan for as a parent. You can have the best intentions and get lost along the way - I don't know, end up escaping the daily pain and grind by seeking out affairs and risky behavior? I am so lucky I've not had to go through this. But I think we have entered a really really slippery slope with this verdict. Think of the civil litigation this will enable if a kid punches another on the playground, or if a minor drinks alcohol at home and kills someone with their parents' car. Where does the liability end? |