I can't speak for anyone else but no 19 year old young man was moving in to our home with an AR-15

[malaise]

In fact unless the 19 year old had been a close friend of my child's who we knew well, he wasn't moving in without a background check. I know it's wonderful that sympathetic parents would help a child who has just lost his mother, but that weapon would have sent off alarm bells for me -maybe it's a cultural thing.

Sorry - naivete isn't a good thing in these times.

[JI7]

1. I wouldn't even let family or friends in with that

[malaise]

2. Precisely

No one of any age was moving in with that - or any other gun for that matter. We have none.

[Hav]

3. I think those who opt not to have weapons feel similar

and for me it would be something I wouldn't allow. But this family seemed to be comfortable with weapons and had their own gun safe as well. It was an error in judgement based on their own views in regards to guns.

[malaise]

5. They're lucky they weren't killed first

Bangs head

[raccoon]

38. Exactly. Google "Ronnie DeFeo" if his name doesn't ring a bell. Nt

[Demsrule86]

11. The kid had a key to where his guns were...it was more than an error in judgement. If it were up to

me, the parents would be charged. If they gave a drunk kid the kids to the car and let him drive, they would be charged...it is worse than that. 16 kids are dead and one teacher. We need to get rid of guns ...ban assault weapons...lock up any who make the damn things. It won't end this but it will help and move towards a total ban with only licensed trained folks allowed to own a gun ...the guns need to be registered and insured.

[marylandblue]

16. They kept the key to the safe, but apparently he had a spare

[LisaL]

20. Safe was located in his room and he purchased it to begin with.

[uponit7771]

30. wow !!!

[hexola]

53. Gun safes are EXPENSIVE! How can he afford a gun safe - but not a place to live?

Something doesnt add up!

[pnwmom]

65. The mother said he was "naive" and knew very little about normal household things.

They were trying to teach him the basics.

[Demsrule86]

22. They gave him the spare. They knew he had access to guns.

[marylandblue]

28. They claim they didn't know about the spare

[LisaL]

17. He is 19, legally an adult. So hard to envision how they would be legally responsible for him.

[Demsrule86]

21. He lived with them.

They are morally responsible...don't know about the legalities of the guns...but the gun seller in Las Vegas was charged. No matter what 17 people are dead and it sure seems to me they enabled him.

[LisaL]

23. Morally is one thing, legally is another.

[Demsrule86]

46. That is true. I woud like to see laws put in place where people like this and the stepfather of

the killer who murdered kids in Chardon Ohio were charged and served time...I consider it no different than giving your car to a drunk...but maybe civil penalties are where we should begin. Take their house and money away.

[Danascot]

35. The gun seller was charged with

manufacturing armor-piercing bullets. Selling the shooter the gun and other types of ammunition was entirely legal.

[lostnfound]

31. The government allowed him to possess the guns, and the kid was over 18.

The laws that allow it are the problem.

Not people who showed sympathy enough to let a young man whose mother has just died to come stay at their house.

[Bluepinky]

40. I agree with you.

This kid was mentally unstable and should never have had access to a gun. But the laws allowed him to own as many guns as he wanted, even an assault rifle. The people who took him in followed all the rules.

[mountain grammy]

41. Yes, I agree.

[Demsrule86]

47. They either didn't care he threatened other kids with a gun...and let him keep guns or they didn't

bother to find out what the issue was and let him keep guns...no respect or sympathy for this family...bet money they are gun humpers.

[bettyellen]

56. Yes, the reason he didnt want to remain with his mothers friend was she didnt want him to have

access to guns. So, he shopped around for a more permissive environment. Stupid.

[LisaL]

19. Well, presumably they themselves are not mentally disturbed.

[Demsrule86]

24. I think they are disturbed. It is not 'normal' to give a disturbed person access to a gun.

[Throck]

4. Strangely our country will train them, give them M16s

and send them off to war at age 18. Basically the world's countries will do this. Including allegedly the civilized ones.

[malaise]

6. And then ignore them when they return with PTSD

It's seriously fucked up

[Throck]

7. I think we precondition them to violence.

Give em a lifetime of video games and TV, then give em a gun.

[FarPoint]

8. This is a prime example....

How our fringe culture has been manlipulated and brainwashed by fox news, hate radio and the NRA investment into controlling the GOP....

He we are....

[Demsrule86]

9. I took some heat about this, and the family sounds reasonable and intelligent...but only a gun nut

lets a troubled kid move in with guns.

[woodsprite]

10. I wouldnt let my BIL/SIL camp with us again

They brought a gun with them, didn’t tell us, and to keep it out of site of us and our daughter, hid it between some towels in our closet.

[raccoon]

39. Good for you! Nt

[lunasun]

54. Wtf???

[hunter]

59. That's the kind of gun that needs to be destroyed.

Two big rocks will do if no angle grinder is available.

[nocalflea]

12. A kid in mourning for a parent in possession of a gun is a gigantic red flag no matter the enculturation.

I wouldn't want a suicide on my hands at the very least.

[Demit]

13. "Ok, dear, here's where you can put your toothbrush, and here's where you put your AR-15."

"And here's the key for when you want to take it out and use it."

Didn't these people know anything about the kid? How he'd been kicked out of the school for disciplinary problems? Didn't they question WHY ANY KID would want an assault weapon, much less this one?

[LisaL]

18. They claim they knew almost nothing about his prior issues.

So they let him move in with assault weapons without knowing almost anything about him.

[SammyWinstonJack]

33. I'd claim that if I were them, after the fact, if I were so stupid as to let a

total stranger with a gun move into my home and that stranger then went on a killing spree at the local high school.
Morans. Really, who believes this family? Sounds like cya.

[moondust]

14. Aren't they gun nuts?

Similar to Nancy Lanza?

[Demsrule86]

25. I think they are exactly the same.

[FM123]

15. Naivete is a downright dangerous thing in these times.

[aikoaiko]

26. I read a report that they thought they had the only key to the gun locker.

Of course even if they banned the guns in their home, that wouldn't have stopped him from buying them and storing them elsewhere ( like a locker at a gun range. Or just a generic storage room. Or a friends house).

[Dave Starsky]

44. Well, that's just kind of...fucking irresponsible.

If you're not aware of where your fucking keys are to your death weapons, and who has them.

That's like putting the URL, login, and password to your bank account on a sticky note and leaving it... somewhere. It's at least partially your fault if shit happens.

[Demsrule86]

48. They let him have a key.

[The empressof all]

64. I thought that was fabricated "truth"

Whenever you purchase a lock box of any kind it comes with two keys. They are either sorely ignorant or just want to deflect the guilt they feel.

[aikoaiko]

66. Typically they do come with two keys. I was just reporting what they said.

I don't know the specifics of the gun safe or the keys.

[rainlillie]

27. I agree..

The safety of yourself and your own family should come first.

[MoonRiver]

29. Agreed, plus they are lucky to be alive.

[sinkingfeeling]

32. I once broke up with a guy in 1982, who was moving in with me. He had a

couple of rifles and I told him he could not bring them into my house, around my 12 year old son. My standing rule for the last 50 years: Guns not allowed.

[malaise]

42. When I was reading for my undergraduate degree I had a classmate who was

really good at math and stats. We hit it off and I'd coach him re English and he'd do the same for stats.
Gradually he joined me for my early morning run until one day he told me he never went running without his gun. That was that - I never ran with him again. We remained friends but I never went anywhere with him again. Eventually he got married and brought his first born to meet me. I ran into him a few years ago - said he was divorced and still waiting for me. I laughed and told him that he had long chosen his gun over me.

[USALiberal]

34. I am not going to blame the parents for this, they tried to help this kid. nt

[malaise]

43. I am not blaming the parents - just pointing out that they were not responsible adults

Sorry

[USALiberal]

45. You really do not have enough info yet but judge all you want. DU seems to be experts on everything.

[LanternWaste]

49. tell yourself what you need to.

Yes. Yes you are blaming them. In part, if nothing else.

You assign them partial responsibility via the mechanism of being irresponsible, and you find fault with them. Those are the only two predicates required for accurate usage of the word 'blame.'

But do tell yourself what you need to hear in order to better maintain that bitter, yet popular mix of pointing fingers at others, and a few tablespoons of self-righteousness for added flavor.

It's human nature to do creates these pretenses.

Sorry, indeed.

[stonecutter357]

36. K&R

[Delmette2.0]

37. Just heard on CBS Morning News.

The local police had been to the foster home a dozen(s) of times. And other local agencies were aware of his problems also. It seems to me that only the foster parents knew all the problems he had. Yet, they let him keep the gun.

[lostnfound]

50. No, that was to his adoptive home, and his 68 year old adoptive mother died at thanksgiving.

Much more complicated than you claim. He was only there for short time after the death of his mother.

[Delmette2.0]

60. You're right.

I should have removed the post.

[csziggy]

61. True, and by the time he moved in with this family he was an adult

They were just trying to help a friend of his son. They did help him get his GED and get a job, at least that is what I read from some of the accounts.

[guillaumeb]

51. But................freedom.

The freedom to terrorize others.

[hexola]

52. NYT says he bought a gun safe and rented a truck when he moved in with them...

Thats not cheap - how do you buy a gun safe, rent a truck...but cant put a roof over your head...?

[csziggy]

62. He probably had money from his mother

His adoptive father died in 2004 and his mother was able to live in a good quality neighborhood until her death. Cruz and his younger brother probably inherited some money from his mother when she died in November last year. The adoptive mother had maintained the house they lived in since her husband's death and the young men probably inherited that, too. But they may not have been willing or capable of keeping the house.

I worry about the younger brother - his name was mentioned in some of the early news stories, but I have read nothing about where he is living or how he is doing. I hope he can live a normal life after his brother's crimes.

[Mountain Mule]

55. It's the Southern gun culture

They welcome the young into their fold and stockpile weapons and ammunition because they hate people of color and by God -

The South will rise again cleansing the entire Country of anyone whose skin is not pink. Bigots and fools the lot of them.

And I don't believe that fairy tale that they didn't know that the kid had a key to the gun locker. I'm sure they handed him a duplicate key before adding his gun to their own weapon trove.

"We didn't know" is ridiculous.

[SummerSnow]

57. Before they moved him in...

I wonder if they asked him if he had any family. They also ran the risk of him killing them. They put themselves in danger, I bet they are thinking about that too.

[malaise]

58. That's all I'm saying sis

I am not blaming them for this horrific slaughter.

[SummerSnow]

63. I understand they felt bad for him and wanted to help. He lived

with these people and they saw no signs that they should have been concerned about. However, he actually hid the real him from them. His social media accounts spoke volumes about who he really was and his intent.Imo he hid the real him from them so he would be kicked out. Then he was risking it by being very open on Facebook.