Last week, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley brought a 9mm Sig Sauer handgun to Oxford High School, near Detroit, Michigan, and opened fire, killing four fellow students. Seven other people, including. teacher, were wounded.
Ethan was arrested and faces a number of charges, including murder, assault with intent to murder and terrorism causing death.
The mass shooting made headlines across the country. More headlines were generated when prosecutors decided to charge Ethan's parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, with four counts of involuntary manslaughter for failing to keep the handgun secure and away from their son. James Crumbley had allegedly purchased the handgun for his underaged son. It had reportedly been kept in an unlocked drawer in the parents' bedroom.
The parents had been warned Ethan had searched for ammunition on his phone the day before the attack. And then on the day of the shooting he school called them in after a disturbing drawing showing a gun, what appears to be a shooting victim and the words "The thoughts won't stop, help me," "My life is useless" and "The world is dead" was found at his desk. The school says the parents resisted taking their son out of school.
That afternoon the shooting started. As news broke, Ethan's mother texted her son "Ethan, don't do it" and his father called police to report the gun missing.
The prosecutor called the parents' conduct "egregious."
Still, it's rare for parents to be charged in a child's violent behavior.
We want to know what you think. How much responsibility do parents bear for their children's criminal actions? Were prosecutors right to charge Ethan Crumbley's parents with involuntary manslaughter for failing to secure the handgun? Or is this overreach?
Send your response (50 words maximum) to [email protected] by Wednesday, December 15. You can also mail your response to the Texarkana Gazette Friday Poll, at P.O. Box 621, Texarkana, TX 75504 or drop it off at our office, 101 E. Broad St, Texarkana, Ark. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number. We will print as many responses as we can in next Friday's paper.
Last Week: Reversing Roe?
Last week's question was about the possibility of the U.S. Supreme Court reversing Roe v. Wade. Do you believe there is a chance the nation's highest court will actually reverse Roe v. Wade, allowing states to ban abortion? Or do you believe the court will find a way to keep Roe v. Wade intact?
This court, which is a political bunch of judges that have been picked to reduce or abolish Roe. This is a fundamental right of women, in which women are and will be forced to go through a unwanted pregnancy. However, this will not stop a female to seek a back alley butcher abortion, to self abort with a clothes hanger, or babies will just be tossed due to a teenager, too afraid of telling parents. I pray for any female that's raped, incest or a pregnancy that is harmful to the woman, but still has to go through a pregnancy at 11 years old, due to a drunk relative. What everyone should be asking, what other rights is this court going to take away from us? -- R.K., Texarkana, Texas
If they show any wisdom, they will leave Roe v Wade and Casey in place. I did cringe the first time I divided 20 weeks by 4 and how far into a pregnancy by months the mother would be; however, a 12- or 13-year-old rape or incest victim was not protected by anybody and their little bodies should not be forced by government forces to carry that burden. -- B.G.M., Hooks, Texas
From facebook.com/texarkanagazette
n The case wasn't about reversing RvW... It's about moving the current line from 24 weeks to 15 weeks for most abortions. So yes, I believe there's a good chance they will uphold the Mississippi law. 5-4.