Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
By Colion Noir
The father of the 14-year-old Apalachee High School shooter was arrested and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
Law enforcement stated that 54-year-old Colin Gray gave an AR-15 rifle to his son “as a gift … in December 2023.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that the charges “stem from Mr. Gray knowingly allowing his son … to possess a weapon.”
What scares me about this case is how it sets a precedent. If we start holding parents criminally responsible for every single thing their child does, where does it stop?
I can’t help but feel like this whole situation is going to be twisted into another attack on gun owners as a whole.
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And honestly, that’s dangerous. It’s easy to imagine a future where simply owning a gun and having kids in the same house makes you a criminal in the eyes of some politicians.
What do you guys think? Should this father be held responsible for his son’s actions? Or are they setting a dangerous precedent that will come back to haunt responsible gun owners down the road?
Let me know in the comments below. And for the record—my heart goes out to the families of the victims.
I can’t imagine what they’re going through right now. However, we must be careful with how we respond to this because the decisions made here could affect all of us in the long run.
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This is a very slippery slope. While in this specific case it may be clear the future ramifications are scary. Where will the line be drawn? If I lend my car to my child and they kill someone am I also guilty of manslaughter because I lent them the car? If my child decides to commit any other crimes on their own I guilty of their actions? Again while I agree this child should never have been alone with a firearm we can’t start throwing parents in jail because their children decide to break the law.
The child made violent comments a year ago when he was 13. The father bought him an AR platform knowing full well his child had made these comments. Now I am not opposed to a parent providing a child with a firearm under strict supervision until they prove they understand the inherent dangers and responsibilities of gun ownership. This father did neither and knowing full well his child had violent tendencies.YES, he is every bit responsible. They should both hang at the same time. Until we start holding PEOPLE responsible, crimes like this will continue plus it just gives more ammo to the gun grabbers who for the most part adamantly opposed to the death penalty.
I don’t see anything wrong with enjoying the shooting sports with your child, or buying them a weapon. That being said…… they need to understand the laws. They should be taught how to handle and care for weapons and respect them. Not have unadulterated access to them. No child should be able to use a weapon without the accompaniment of their responsible adult. Once the child turns of legal age to own and operate the weapon of choice, it is on them….. as it should be. They should have by that time been taught right and wrong usage. My 2 cents…..
He should absolutely be held liable. He knew there was something wrong, yet he gave this kid a weapon.
On top of that, he makes all of us responsible gun owners look bad and he makes us have to fight to keep our rights.
One of the things I like about responsible gun owners is if somebody is being an irresponsible gun over, we will hold their feet to the fire.
The father, if he was aware of his son’s mental problems, should be charged with aiding and abetting at a minimum. There’s nothing wrong with buying your responsible child a firearm, but know your child’s mental condition, and keep your guns under your control until your child is recognized as an adult. I bought all of my kids a gun, or two. Guess what, none of them have ever misused a firearm in any manner.
Some states have laws that speak directly to this situation. Connecticut as an example has a law that makes it a penalty to have your weapons unsecured. That does not mean every household has to have a thousand dollar safe, but it does say they must be secured from access to children. A lock on the gun and in a lockable closet is more than satisfactory. What level the penalty should be I can’t say but I do think it should be scaled as to what a child does with an unsecured firearm. Colin Gray gave an AR-15 rifle to his son as a gift which should remain legal in all states. My son got his first 22 rifle at age 11 and his shotgun at twelve, the legal age to hunt, which we did. He was shooting tin cans and taught gun safety starting around 8 or 9 years old. He never had access to any arms and knew what MY penalties were if he tried. Good Discipline is the best prevention. Having free unsupervised access below legal firearm ownership age is what any law and the associated penalties should be applied, and if a child commits’ murder and the penalty is accessory in some form to it, then that’s the law and the correct sentence should be applied. Should it be accessory to murder, NO but there should be something to force stupid people to secure their firearms. We all want to protect our children from any danger that may hurt them and its prudent to prevent such access to weapons. That said in the case of Adam Lanza (Sandy Hook School Shooter) he was 20 years old and the investigators believe he had free access to the safe in the house. That situation was all about mental health and the inability of all those around him to recognize his childhood issues or they just turn a blind eye to those issues and there were 26 souls that payed the price.
Parents should be held strictly responsible for the predictable criminal acts that their children commit; especially when the parents armed the disturbed child.
If parents are to be held responsible for the criminal activities of their children, then we shall all be wearing orange jumpsuits.
If the kid had used a pocket knife his father had given him, would we imprison the father and outlaw Case pocket knives?
If the kid had used a baseball bat his father had given him, would we imprison the father and outlaw Louisville sluggers?
This is not intended to minimize the seriousness of this tragic situation, but to emphasize that each and every one
of us commits law-breaking actions every day, and kids don’t arrive on earth with instruction manuals. I think we will
eventualy find that the root cause for these shootings is social rejection, which each and every one of us experiences
as a young person. I don’t think anyone has yet proposed a reasonable and sensible solution as to how to guide adolescents
through this tough time in their lives, but the real danger weapon is their immature mind, not the tool that’s used to act out.
Some item can always be found to use against their victim. Guns are preferred because they can project force at a safe distance.
They must feel and believe the adage that “Abraham Lincoln didn’t make all men equal; Samuel Colt did.”
All that said, I’m not credentialed to actually have a citable opinion for a diagnosis or a solution….just one guy’s opinion.
No reason for the father to be charged. He didn’t give his son a gun for the purpose of killing people. Plus, when he gave his son the gun a year earlier, he had no idea what the son would do with it a year later. Many families in America have parents who are gun owners and in my opinion their children should be taught how to respect guns and also how to use them. Guns don’t kill people, people due. Guns need to have ammunition installed and a person does that. The gun has to be taken to where people are shot or killed, people do that. Guns don’t aim and fire by themselves people do that. People pull the trigger with the intent to kill not guns. A gun is like a hammer. It is how you use it. People have been killed by hammers as well, but someone held the hammer. That is not how the hammer was supposed to be used. Guns are the same they are not supposed to be used to kill, by everyday people unless in self-defense. Enforce the gun laws we already have and punish the murderers according to our existing laws. We don’t need to band guns what we need is to punish the people who use them incorrectly.
Involuntary manslaughter is a charge of unintentionally killing someone by recklessness or criminal negligence. It certainly seems that Dad fits the bill here but two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children? not so sure about that part. Additionally, per ATF, “Persons less than 18 years of age may only receive and possess handguns with the written permission of a parent or guardian for limited purposes, e.g., employment, ranching, farming, target practice or hunting.” [18 U.S.C. 922(x)] Looks like, in all 50 states, there’s already plenty of laws already on the books regarding Parental liability covering the civil and criminal acts of their children but to whom they are applied is questionable.
Responsible parenting does not mean to buddy up with your child and share your adult toys. Parents absolutely should be held accountable for their child’s behavior especially when it involves irresponsible parenting. If you are going to have kids, step up and be a responsible parent.
I would agree if the child were mental. I gave my son a .22 rifle at age 10, but he could not shoot the rifle without my presence. Perhaps where you live your statement is a shared belief, but here in the South the responsibility of firearm ownership is enforced by law and tradition. Tell me, at what age does one know right from wrong and becomes accountable before God?
Excellent
The father absolutely should be held accountable. He knew his son had an issue, yet still, not only gave him access, but bought him the weapon used to kill innocents.
Accountability is what we’re missing nowadays. Do not confuse or use the 2nd amendment and your own over the top need to justify every use of a gun or any weapon. When the person who wields the weapon, or allows a know person with known mental issues to wield a weapon, they both should be held accountable.
You cannot press for accountability on other crimes and just ignore a mass shooting because you love guns. I’m a firm 2nd amendment supporter, but…
This is not just about the 2nd amendment; this is about accountability, actions, and consequences. Those kids who were just trying to get an education, which is required, did not deserve to be shot by a person with previously recognized mental issues. It is absolutely unthinkable that his father bought him that weapon and gave him full access to it. He should be held accountable. Period. I can’t believe there is any question regarding this. Rights come with responsibility. If you can’t accept the responsibility, you shouldn’t have the right.
Don’t get me wrong… this isn’t just a case of the father having his weapons locked up and the kid stole the keys and used a normally secured weapon; or, in a normal case where the child did not have any previously highlighted and warned about emotional issues, and the father forgot to lock the gun vault.
This was a child who the police credibly warned the parents about. In that case, the father should be held accountable for not ensuring that his weapons were always locked and secured… and should never have bought his son a weapon and left him unsupervised with full access.
There are no excuses for this flagrant act of consciously and deliberately and actively putting others at risk. No responsible gun owner or father would do such a thing.
The father is just as responsible for the deaths and injuries that occurred as his child, whom he is also responsible for.
All gun owners need to understand this; owning a firearm comes with great responsibility. If you can’t handle that responsibility, you should not own it. Otherwise, you are stepping on the rights and safety of others. Take responsibility for your actions, your successes, and of course, your failures.
I think you’re over-worrying and over generalizing in this particular case. I think there are facts in this case that led to the charge, not simply that the parent had a gun in the house. And as another person commented there seem to have been red flags that should have alerted a responsible parent about the risks
The only problem I would have is if the father gets charged AND the kid gets charged as an adult. You can’t be held liable for the criminal acts of another. Holding two “adults” criminally responsible for killing someone makes no sense if one of them wasn’t even present at the killing. BTW, not saying he shouldn’t be guilty of something but they shouldn’t both be guilty of the same crime.
I don’t see any difference in this scenario and other similar scenarios. In many states, if you are the getaway driver for a robbery, and your partner who enters the store decides to kill the innocent person behind the counter, you as the getaway driver are charged with murder (not just accessory, but murder, just as if you pulled the trigger). . You weren’t present, but you helped facilitate and put the other person in a position to kill someone. You are responsible. Two adults charged with murder with one not present at the time, but facilitating the murder, through previous actions. You knew when you committed to that action that someone could be hurt or killed, so you are accountable.
If I am a getaway driver and I drive a man to a liquor store to rob it, and that man kills the clerk, we will both be charged with the murder.
This is common.
We all want to be responsible gun owners too, so what’s more responsible than securing firearms from a child who’s known to have emotional disturbances? This father knew back in May of 2023 that his son had issues, but he gave the boy unregulated access to a firearm….not smart IMO, and there’s legal precedence now from the Crumbley case to prosecute the dad.
The End
“Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane…”
-JM
School was tough when I was a young lad but shooting innocent, unarmed, people is such a betrayal of US freedoms and a shameful act of cowardice that only a new generation duped, by their worst enemies, whacked out on psychotropics, would embrace such vicious, foolish an act. Sadly, that father must have thought that his son was like the kids from earlier generations.
if you don’t have accountability then you will have chaos and lawlessness. whats next, kids committing other felonies and getting away with a slap on the wrist…………….errrrr too late.