After a school shooting in Georgia by a 14-year-old boy, the suspect’s father has been charged, a measure that the justice system intends to use more often to combat the phenomenon of mass shootings.
Yet another shooting that left four people dead and nine injured. On Wednesday, September 5, Colt Gray, a 14-year-old teenager, opened fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. The gun used had been given to him by the suspect’s father, Colin Gray. The latter himself was arrested by the police, charged with involuntary manslaughter. This is not the first time that a parent of a minor shooter has been charged. James and Jennifer Crumbley were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the mass shooting committed by their son at a Michigan high school in 2021. According to the New York Times the justice of the State of Georgia is of the opinion to use the same measure.
Before the Michigan case, parents of child killers were rarely singled out. This was a mistake for some Americans, who believe that charging parents could help prevent young people from committing such crimes, the New York newspaper reported. “I’m not a big fan of finger-pointing after a tragedy like this, but we have a problem with accountability in this country. The issue of accountability has been absent from the debate for far too long.”Michele Gay, whose daughter, Josephine Grace, was killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook school in Connecticut, told our American colleagues.
Insufficient strategy, say teachers
According to a study conducted by the US Secret Service Homeland Security, nearly three-quarters of the weapons used in mass shootings are borrowed by the perpetrator from his parents or a relative. To deal with the scourge of mass shootings, which are unfortunately all too widespread in the United States, the authorities are looking for solutions to raise awareness among families about the dangers of carrying a weapon, despite the recent expansion of gun rights by the Supreme Court. Thus, the courts no longer hesitate to initiate proceedings against manufacturers and sellers of firearms, or to seek broader charges, as the parents did in the Michigan and Georgia cases. “Prosecutors are beginning to realize that these are real crimes that need to be prosecuted.”said Nick Suplina, vice president of law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety.
However, some believe that this strategy remains insufficient to combat mass killings. “You’re not going to solve these problems by going after parents one by one. That seems like an unlikely way to address what is fundamentally a gun saturation problem.”abounds with the New York Times Ekow N. Yankah, professor of law and philosophy at the University of Michigan. Before adding: “We are only responsible for our actions, and when other people act, we are not responsible for what they do.” An opinion shared by Linda C. Fentiman, professor emeritus at Pace University. “Blaming the father – and the decision to immediately charge him – does not address the fundamental problem of gun violence, which is that guns are widely available to adults and children alike.”shares the teacher.
A more regulated law in certain states
According to the Everytown for Gun Safety group, which advocates for the strictest gun control, 26 states, including New York, California, Texas and Florida, punish gun owners if children have access to them. This should help parents become more aware of their responsibilities in this regard. But Georgia does not have such a framework.
It is unclear whether Gray knew his son posed a threat. The FBI issued a tip in 2023 about Gray threatening to shoot up a school online. A neighboring county sheriff investigated, but Gray denied making the threats, and his father said his son did not have access to his guns.
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