US mother charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Bluebelle Here is the link www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68223118

Here is a link:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/06/michigan-school-shooter-mother-guilty-jennifer-crumbley

The father is waiting for trial too.

I think at the very least you should store guns correctly!

It's about time parents were held responsible for what their children do. Give a child a weapon of any kind and, of course, he's going to use it. In Britain there is a problem with air-guns and catapults. Swans and ducks are constantly attacked by children who have these things. Firing stones at windows is another activity resulting from possession.
If irresponsible parents were prosecuted for what their children do, there might be less juvenile nuisance.

I think the verdict is right. Don't agree with that gun culture at all. All weapons should be under lock and key, parents responsibility.

All knives are vicious though, I have numerous in my house. I think they may view guns in the house in the way we view knives in the house. I am not excusing anything I hate the gun culture but I think trying to unpick it because of the different cultures is impossible.

Well why not turn it around and say if in England and the mother went out and bought (especially bought) a vicious knife and gave to her child wouldn’t we expect to hold the mother guilty for encouraging her child to use it.
I haven’t read about the case and there s no link so maybe I ve got it wrong but I m going by the information given

I just dont think we can possibly understand that culture.

Considering all the mental health problems that seem to afflict so many teenagers when they attend school in the US (and here); the bullying and taunting that appears to be rife among that age group - and considering also the US's history of numerous school shootings - no sane parent surely would take the risk of allowing their child access to a gun?

What is it with Americans and guns? I've seen photo's of families with quite young children seated proudly displaying their individual weapons; very young children are taught to handle a weapon at am early age. I suppose if all your neighbours own them, you have to do likewise.

Good for the firearm and ammunition industry though making $billions in profits... who cares that some crazy kids go on the rampage and kill each other, eh? What is the mantra... "guns don't kill people, people do." What are guns for, if not to maim and kill... surely the whole of America aren't "huntin'-shootin'-and-fishin" devotees are they?

I think it's an awful culture. And isn't going to change anytime soon.

I suppose a lot of parents are blind to what their children are really like. The gun culture in the US is so different from what we are used to it is hard to comment. Can you seriously imagine anyone in the UK or even Australia these days buying a gun for a child ? I suppose if they live in the bush you might, for shooting rabbits etc but still wouldn’t be your average present.

It is complicated, because everything she says will be exculpatory, but it did seem that, according to the prosecution he had been showing signs of mental problems andhad told his parents, who had also been called into a meeting at the school about him. Despite that his parents went out and bought him a gun.

This is not a case where the parents are being prosecuted just because he is their son and they bought the gun, more a case of criminal negligence. the warning signals were there and they ignored them.

I've just read about that! We're in the process of discussing what we think.

At first I was a tad surprised, seemed a bit harsh.

But transpires that, as you mentioned, she got him a gun. She knew he'd been searching school shootings online.

But did she think he'd turn into a school shooter ? I doubt it.