Oxford High School shooting: Guns are more important than the motive
The debate surrounding the recent Michigan school shooting reveals the urgent need for a change in gun culture.
By Zeeshan Aleem, MSNBC Opinion Columnist
UPDATE (12/03/2021 03:10 p.m. E.T.): A Michigan prosecutor has charged the parents of suspect Ethan Crumbley with four counts of involuntary manslaughter based on the claim that they acted as irresponsible gun owners. It's a rare legal maneuver.
A teenager allegedly opened fire in Oxford High School in Michigan on Tuesday, fatally shooting four students and injuring seven other people, including a teacher. It appears to have been the deadliest U.S. school shooting in years, and viral videos of terrified students desperately climbing out of windows to save themselves have raised yet another round of debate about what must be done to end this uniquely American affliction.
As usual, a great deal of the media coverage of the shooting has focused on the possible motives of the suspect. Reporters have pointed out evidence indicating the 15-year-old suspect, Ethan Crumbley, apparently flaunted a semi-automatic handgun on social media days before the shooting; that he allegedly wrote in a journal about his intention to massacre students; that investigators said he had videos on his cellphone showing him talking about killing students; and that in the run-up to the shooting, two teachers had separately flagged his behavior as concerning. Prosecutors have emphasized indications that this was premeditated and have charged Crumbley with, among other things, terrorism. (He pleaded not guilty.)
The details are always important, and reporters and investigators are doing their jobs. But when contemplating solutions to this recurring problem, a lot of the discussion over the suspect’s character and intentions may effectively be a diversion from another major culprit here: the gun itself.
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It's wrong to blame the parents. Only the son pulled the trigger and only he should be charged. The parents will be found not guilty.