Father on trial in Georgia for purchasing a gun for his son, who took it to school and shot several people.

Hearing details now in the opening statements. Prosecutor started by saying this isn't a case of trying to hold parent accountable for the actions of the child. Dad is on trial for his own actions. Not about guns or gun rights or minors having guns.

You may be wondering why the dad is on trial. The shooter had a shrine to Nicholas Cruz on his bedroom wall. Cruz was the school shooter in Lakeland. This Dad gave this psycho kid access to a rifle. When dad got word of the shooting from his daughter, he texted her back and said "please don't tell me your brother did something." He knew. He knew his kid was crazy and worshipped school shooters.

When the kid was 11, he was caught Googling things at school like "abuse" and "how to kill your dad." At the end of his 7th grade year, the Jackson County sheriff's office got a tip from the FBI that the kid had posted on Discord that he was threatening to shoot up an elementary school. Dad was told. Kid claimed Discord app got hacked. Dad covered for kid. Officers told him to restrict access to guns. Still had guns around. Built the shrine to Cruz. Still had access to the guns.

Then he bought him an AR rifle for Christmas less than a year later. Dad knew his kid worshipped school shooters, threatened on Discord to shoot up a school, and then BOUGHT HIM A RIFLE.

Trying to get through this opening statement. It is rough.

Wow, I realize the dad didn't pull the trigger but damn if he didn't enable it. If is aware of the kid's history and mentality, he's a real dumbass for buying the kid a gun.

Parents need to be held responsible for the criminal behavior of their minor children.

Sid Farkas said:

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Parents need to be held responsible for the criminal behavior of their minor children.

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Just reading the information in the OP, I agree in this case. However, hypothetically speaking, if I do my best to teach my kid not to drive drunk is it my fault when they get drunk and kill or seriously someone in a wreck? It really depends on the circumstances for sure but, parents are somewhat limited sometimes. I've preached no drunk driving to my kids but I can't be everywhere with them. My parents didn't know half the crap I did growing up and none of the stupid **** I did was their fault.

Father of the year material. Wow. Kid left a bread trail of red flags and the dad just ignored them or didn't care.

Using your example, it'd be like buying your alcoholic kid with a suspended license a case of beer.

UnderoosAg said:

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Using your example, it'd be like buying your alcoholic kid with a suspended license a case of beer.

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Like the affluenza kid.

Sid Farkas said:

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Parents need to be held responsible for the criminal behavior of their minor children.

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But there is a vast difference between civil liability and criminal liability.

There is an old adage that bad facts make for bad law. This appears to be one of those cases much like the one up in Michigan. In the Michigan case, the kid was tried and sentenced as an adult yet the parents were prosecuted anyway making it hard to round off that square.

Exactly

If your kid had no history of any problems that's one thing

But in this case you 100% knew he WANTED to commit harm and gave him the tool to do so

That's different