Fire Arms and Parental Responsibility

The issue of parental responsibility in the case of firearms related crimes and accidents involving minors is a very controversial and thought provoking issue. Some people feel that an adult should be held primarily responsible for the crimes of a minor child, especially if said crime is committed with a weapon owned by the particular adult in question. Many others argue that an adult should only assume responsibility for such an accident or crime involving children if he or she has failed to properly secure a lethal weapon. Then there are those individuals who lean toward the argument that happy and healthy children do not commit firearms related crimes. These are people who subscribe to the belief that society needs to end its fixation on penalties and focus more on the good old fashioned proper rearing of children.

There are many people who believe that keeping a loaded weapon in a home occupied by minor children, or in a premises frequented by minor children, should be considered tantamount to that individual adult pulling the trigger of the weapon if there is an accident involving the gun. In the state of California, if a person under the age of sixteen is likely to gain access to a weapon, and the firearm is not secured with a locking device and deemed inoperable, the responsible adult may be found guilty of a felony. This is more likely to occur if a child accesses the firearm and causes serious injury or death to any person, including themselves.

On the other end of the spectrum are those individuals with an altogether different take on the issue. These particular people believe that it is their constitutional right to bear arms, and that some parents are being unjustly punished for what most would classify as “unfortunate accidents”. Some in this category believe that even if parents place an enormous emphasis on teaching their children about morality and gun safety, accidents are inevitably bound to happen.

In addition, there are some who believe that only disturbed children commit firearms related crimes. These are the people who say that there must be underlying issues that cause a child to be unhappy enough to commit a violent crime. These individuals believe that with the proper amount of nurturing and affection, any child is capable of being a well adjusted and safe member of society.

Finally, there are those who believe that society needs to end its fixation with punishment. Those who agree with this claim seem to be on the same wavelength as those individuals who propose focusing on the mental health of children as a means of prevention for violent crime and accidental shootings among our youth. The point here being of course that punishment accomplishes little in the way of prevention or long term rehabilitation. It is often used as a scare tactic, not as an educational tool.

As a parent myself, I have always been interested in the issue of parental responsibility and firearms. It is my belief that many children could be saved from injury or death due to negligent use of firearms if their parents had secured their weapons in a more responsible and safe manner. As most of us know, curiosity is a natural human tendency. Children happen to be the most curious of creatures alive. It is up to adults to keep potentially lethal guns out of the reach of children. Not only do I believe parents should be required to secure their weapons properly to avoid prosecution, I believe that parents should also be held accountable for the crimes committed by children using unsecured guns. If more adults were to be held criminally responsible for the actions of their minor children, then maybe these adults would take a more active interest in the manner in which their children are being raised.This is my claim. Holding parents criminally responsible for the actions of their children would be in the best interest of the physical, as well as emotional health of our nation’s children.