How the Crumbley parents’ cases could change America’s response to mass shootings
IndependentApr 09
School Shooter's Parents Receive Maximum Sentences
The Facts
Jennifer and James Crumbley, who were tried and convicted separately of involuntary manslaughter for not stopping their teenage son from carrying out a school shooting, were each sentenced Tuesday to 10-15 years in prison.
The sentences handed down by an Oakland County Circuit judge matched the maximum permissible under the law and what prosecutors had requested. This case marked the first time parents of a mass school shooter were charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The Spin
Narrative A
These cases mark a change in the application of firearms law for the better. By making this into a gun safety issue — which even the most ardent supporter of the Second Amendment should be able to get behind — prosecutors can hold gun owners responsible for failing to keep their firearms safe, secure, and away from those who may use them for wrongdoings.
Narrative B
These parents never should've been charged — never mind convicted and sentenced. The Crumbleys didn't break any law that exists on the books, as they didn't do, plan, or participate in their son's crime. This is opening a Pandora's Box for future criminal prosecution of people who haven't broken the law but may be loosely connected to someone who does.
Nerd narrative
There is a 0.1% chance that the Second Amendment, as written and in force on December 13th, 2018, will be successfully amended or repealed before Jan. 1, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.