Michigan/United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with Oakland County, Michigan, prosecutor Karen McDonald’s decision to charge the parents of the alleged perpetrator of the shooting at Oxford High School, there is one thing that loyal Ammoland readers should be able to agree on: These parents did the Second Amendment no favors.
Now, the accused shooter and his parents are innocent until proven guilty in the eyes of the law. There are varied opinions on whether the parents should be charged. Based on media reports, though, Second Amendment supporters need to acknowledge that these parents made Alec Baldwin look responsible when it came to firearms. That irresponsibility will hard our efforts to defend our Second Amendment rights in multiple ways.
For starters, you can bet some anti-Second Amendment extremists will, at the very least, push to enact background checks on ammunition. The accused shooter was allegedly caught searching for how to buy ammo online, and that along with the reported drawing of a school shooting isn’t just going to target online ammo sales.
The reported pattern of missed opportunities looks eerily like the one seen with Parkland, and which allowed that shooter to carry out a horrific act. We will likely see a new push for “red flag” laws as well, particularly the ones that Bloomberg pushes – which omit things like due process.
Can you blame people when they see the failure to decisively act? The reportedly blasé reaction the mom had to the report of her son’s online searching isn’t going to help our case against broad reporting options for those laws, either.
One other thing we might see pushed: Waiting periods. The gun used in this shooting was bought four days prior to theincident, per reports from the media. There are some objectively bad optics here – and it’s not being a “Fudd” to point those out.
The fact that the parents of the accused shooter are an exception to the general rule about the responsibility of those who exercise their Second Amendment rights is something Second Amendment supporters need to make clear. But we’re going to see a lot of social stigmatization result from this. Not to mention it will be harder to fight anti-gun policies in workplaces.
It really doesn’t matter that the school failed to act decisively, although reports indicate the school officials on that day had a chance to stop the shooting. When they have disturbing information, like a depiction of a school shooting, failing to search the backpack and locker of the student in question is mind-boggling. Letting said student return to class is sheer insanity.
Again, Second Amendment supporters can debate whether manslaughter, criminal negligence, or civil wrongful death suits are appropriate for the parents. They can debate how much of the blame falls on the schools for inaction and for poor policy. The legal system will address those questions.
But there is no denying that the parents of the accused Oxford High School shooter have handed anti-Second Amendment extremists a lot of ammunition to use against us as we work to preserve our Second Amendment rights via the ballot box at the federal, state, and local levels.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
After i fought my way through this article again, i can clearly see you are not the person i’d want standing next to me on a battlefield. I’d send you back to base to clean and mop floors. …and by the way Alec Baldwin did pull the trigger.
Harold, after reading your articles for more than a year without comment I can truthfully say find another job.
Really? Just when does it stop? How far are you willing to go with prosecution? How about the FFL dealer, or the wholesale distributor or the manufacturer? Jumping on the anti-Second Amendment bandwagon and condemning someone else for the actions of another person with a gun sounds more like something the “Brady Bunch” and the Giffords would approve of to use to advocate gun locks, separate storage for guns and ammo, and out-and-out gun bans. Hold the little bastard accountable and put him down, but spreading the blame is something I would expect of liberal anti-gunners, overzealous prosecutors and political… Read more »
Holding the parents responsible is not spreading the blame. It is putting the blame where it belongs. The parents are legally responsible for all things their son does. It is no different than leaving a case of dynamite where he can get it and he blows up a school. If he rapes someone. They are still legally responsible and can be held to account with him. IMO, they are also morally responsible for raising a kid. If you don’t know how to control your kid, then get ready for some crap to hit the fan, because the Law of Unintended… Read more »
No, in fact the parents are not legally responsible for everything their son does; and tey msy or may not be found civilly liable for a particular sction. The only real “smoking gun”, no pun intended, was the drawing of what appeared to be a school shooting, and that was discovered just that morning, by school officials, who did nothing. I, and I am sure many others, had access to handguns as teenagers, and shot no one. There is legal, moral or ethical problem with that.
I had a .22,.357, and a 45. in high school. I didn’t shoot anyone. The cops stopped to talk to two of us packing rifles. I had a pistol on my belt, and even though it was illegal the cop looked at it and didn’t say a thing.
Translation: Respect mah authoritah!
If they don’t grovel, it’s a “bad attitude”.
FYI my reply wasn’t to you. Tex deleted his post and ran away, making it look that way thanks to the lame Ammoland system.
“If he rapes someone. They are still legally responsible and can be held to account with him.”
This may be one of the dumbest, most inaccurate thing I’ve read on this forum and that’s saying a lot considering I just read another one of Harold’s articles.
Harold, we’ve tried so hard to get through to you over the years, and you persist with your anti-gun sympathizer, compromiser drivel. To even say things like “and it’s not being a Fudd” shows on some level you know this about yourself. The next time you feel like pointing a finger, you should take some time to look inward.
Or for the sake of us RKBA supporters, just go away.
Punish the criminal not the innocent. Millions of ammo sales are made in the US. The facts are it happened at a school in Michigan where teachers are not allowed to carry in defense of themselves and other students. The loss of a child is beyond measure in the heart. The schools need to seriously consider is being unarmed the only solution? Gun free zones clearly will not stop evil intent. No matter how many restrictions you think will work. Criminals and those bent on destruction will always find a way. Whether it be with bombs, poison, fire, automobiles or… Read more »
Well, said. MC.
Been wondering what “MC” stands for? Thx
Merry Christmas!!!
Captain Obvious strikes again.
HH, were you born this stupid or did you have to work at it?
HH? Oooh, hes a white supremacist. Or is it white apologist?
Dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery any day! Your article claims otherwise.
“If you are not free to choose wrongly and irresponsibly, you are not free at all.” – Jacob G. Hornberger
Harold again shows his foolishness! How can he think that the legal system will address the fault of the school officials? That will just be swept under the rug. This whole story doesn’t “smell” right. The parents seem to be guilty of something, but not murder. This is the usual tactic of way over charging, to coerce the defendant to plead guilty to a lesser charge. Whatever the parents are guilty of, the school officials are at least equally guilty of!
Let’s not forget that this would not have happened at all if the kid thought some of the teachers might be armed. Remember: the moment another person with a firearm shows up, the mass shooter either surrenders (as in this case), barricades himself, or shoots himself. We can’t control the family situations of every kid in school, so it is folly to craft laws to somehow stop stupid situations at home from happening, but we can control whether the school is viewed as a soft target or not. Sadly, this issue is no longer open for discussion in the mainstream… Read more »
Harold, I disagree, and you are full of shit. Now go pound sand, and dont come back.
Harold, Harold, Harold.
“The reportedly blasé reaction the mom had to the report of her son’s online searching”
What could be more natural than a boy, who’d just been given a new gun, looking at ammo? There was definitely something odd going on, if a boy as troubled as that was given a gun, but looking at ammo isn’t it. Fault them for not keeping the gun under their control, and that will be addressed through civil action, but criminal charges are just political posturing.
These Butters and Fudds like Harold are always looking to point out how something makes the 2A “look bad” and how something is going to lead to more arms control. I got news for you, absolutely NOTHING could happen and people are still going to push arms control! It’s what they do. They won’t be satisfied until only the people they approve of have arms. I know you think this is some kind of ammo for the anti-2A people to use against us but in reality it will only be used as an excuse for legislation these people would have… Read more »
“Michigan Shooter’s Parents Did The Second Amendment No Favors” REALLY? Are all the people shooting up every major city on a daily basis doing the “The Second Amendment” any “favors”? Does it lead to any “social stigmatization” of their demographic? If every shooting does the Second Amendment a dis-favor, then legal gun ownership is doomed to be a thing of the past. Regular run-of-the-mill citizens can not be trusted with guns – period. Add into this that a firearm-ignorant citizenry will buy into any story about some crazed gun-nut that will be intent on committing a mass shooting, risking making… Read more »
Well said. American used to band together and trust each other, to a reasonable extent. The democrat tactic of dividing us makes us distrust each other, generally, and with guns, specifically. Merry Christmas, brother.
Appreciate your comparison to Islamic terrorists. Fraction of Muslims who are terrorists is certainly higher than fraction of gun owners who are “mass shooters”. Anyone discriminating against Muslims or suggesting restrictions on their religion is shunned – as they should be. Should be the same for anyone attacking gun owners for their possessions or peaceful actions. Discrimination of the worst sort.
He better start thinking about the future. I hope that he is a good saver or marries into money! MC, brother.
Yeah, Harold’s articles would be more “credible” with a fantasy ranch, fantasy PhD, 20 sock puppets & a chimp named TEX. MC!
I don’t get the anti-Harold BS. Harold writes credible articles.You complainers just don’t like the facts.
Ok, Harold.
Don is not Harold.
He is worse.
He enforced never-ending gun control laws as a Washington State “Trooper” and said he would enforce a law requiring the registration of semiautomatic firearms.
He then retired to a state with better gun control laws.
He criticized people for buying braced pistols and told them they knew they were law-breakers.
When asked if he would enforce banning (confiscation) of semiautomatic rifles, he refused to answer.
He is worse than a BATFE agent.
There you go acting the fool again you little Dickens.
Sure thing, Wild Bill! Now you’re on Harold’s jock too.
“LMFAO!!!”
Monkey see, Monkey do!
@WB – MC2u2.
Thank you!
Surely TEX earned a banana with that genius comment, WB! One hand feeds the other! That is, if you can get one of your sock pups off lap dance duty.
“LMFAO!!!”
Thai article posits that the 2nd A is not a absolute protected Right & that the author’s spin & interpretation thinks it should be tweaked. Beyond obvious what drum beat he matches to.
Whether one believes the 2nd Amendment protects an absolute right to self defense
and to keep and bear arms ( I happen to agree that it does) isn’t really the point here. We are locked in a struggle to define it as such and as the author correctly points out, these people aren’t helping in that struggle. Neither is defending their irresponsible behavior with regard to gun ownership.
Two things cause bad things to happen: corruption and incompetence. In this instance, the kid was the corrupt party and the parents, at best, were incompetent parties. Now, when are corruption or incompetence ever going to help the Second Amendment? It is a given that people who have either of these conditions are the worst possible candidates for possessing firearms. The Second Amendment, meanwhile, carries its own assumption that an armed populace will protect itself from evildoers, most of all, and less obviously but also, that such a populace will find ways to keep the most power of the people… Read more »
I agree with your evaluation of the kid and his parents, however school, officials, and voters also share blame for incompetence. They knew there were issues with this kid, yet failed to adequately address it. In more general view, school was well known as a soft and relatively attractive target. What did they do to remove that status – or impression that it was so. As others have said, would kid have even tried if he suspected teachers or staff might be armed and willing to put him down? Failure to provide security is on the school. Additionally – if… Read more »
Talking in platitudes about what actually happened vs. what was reported when we already know elections are rigged, false flags are being continually perpetrated by DHS/ FBI & media is complicit is agitprop & legalized propaganda via Smith Mundt Modernization Act of 2012, Eric Holden’s Gunrunner BATF sold guns to Drug Dealers – Cartel coterie’s doesn’t seem like a very honest way to solve anything. With a known agenda & continued lying corrupt political establishment it would seem like an exercise in futility if your sincerely looking to solve real issues.
What makes you think you’d alienate readers with comment above? I doubt many are offended by suggestion to secure their property. I for one do the same. While I appreciate suggestions on how – I absolutely oppose mandates to do so. Best place for your firearm is on your person when and if you need it. Like you I live somewhere where risk of home invasion is minuscule at worst. Have always though my most likely defense scenario would involve the coyotes who occasionally accompany me and my dogs on our walks. After having a neighbor dragged across the street… Read more »
Pouty mouth is back!
STRIKE GROUP REAGAN!
LOL
As a rabid supporter of the 2nd Amendment I have almost zero sympathy for the parents on any level. First they thought it a good idea to give their troubled & in trouble teenage son a firearm as a Christmas gift. So they conduct an illegal straw-purchase and after lying to their FFL dealer & on their 4473, they took possession of the pistol and quickly handed it off to junior so he could quickly show all his friends his brand new toy via social media.
Gifting a gun to a family member that you purchase is NOT a straw purchase or illegal.
It is a straw purchase if the family member is not otherwise qualified to take possession of the firearm. He was under age. That makes it a straw purchase.
You are incorrect.
As that question on the 4473 asks is it for your use or a gift. Gifting is legal and don’t make it a straw purchase.
It helps to educate yourself.