According to NBC10:
Frank Cossey tried to buy his son a rifle in 2005, but was not allowed to because he was a felon, prosecutors said. Frank Cossey was sent to prison after pleading guilty in 1981 to manslaughter in a drunken driving death in Oklahoma.
Yes, if you’re doing the math, that means he tried to buy his 12 year old son a rifle. Niiiiice.
No wonder the poor boy had issues.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Kelly: Are you arguing that parents should never buy guns for minors? Just wondering before I jump to conclusions.
I come from the rural south and I know that parents buy guns for minors for hunting and such. We had guns in my house (though they were kept in my parents’ room and we were not allowed to touch them without my parents being present). Both of my brothers knew how to fire weapons early on – they killed snakes and stuff in the yard. There was a hunting club at my first high school, it was a fact of life (though a scary one, as one of my brothers’ friends was a victim of a hunting accident).
All of that said:
Am I a fan of guns? No.
Would I have them in my home? No.
Do I understand that it happens? Yes.
However, in this case, the facts are:
1, this was suburban Philadelphia, not rural Pennsylvania.
2, these are automatic assault weapons, not hunting guns.
3, the boy had serious issues – according to reports, he felt bullied, weighed more than 300 pounds and had been “voluntarily removed” from his sururban high school because of social issues.
Why would you buy a gun for a boy in that situation? Why wouldn’t you seek help for him instead? And there were guns, hand grenades and a bomb – all, according to police, in plain view in his bedroom.
Is it child abuse or just plain neglect? I don’t know. What it isn’t is parenting.
Okay – you and I are on the same page w/r/t this specific situation. From what you’ve said, I see your point – which is why I asked.
On the parenting point – spot on – when my dad started letting me go hunting with him, I had a very long period of learning how to use the gun, carry the gun, clean the gun, the power of the gun, the ethics of hunting…. If you’re going to expose your kids to guns, you have to take on a heightened responsibility for them.