The shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, wasn’t the most deadly school shooting we’ve seen, but it still made plenty of headlines. The fact that the shooter was a young girl made it different, and the fact that she had contact with others where they apparently discussed such attacks made it weird, but since she took her own life, one might expect it to be over.
Only, it’s not.
It seems that, in a growing trend, the killer’s father is being charged in the matter.
The father of 15-year-old Abundant Life school shooter [killler’s name redacted] in Madison has been arrested, according to records maintained by the state Department of Justice.
Those records show Jeffrey Rupnow was arrested Thursday, May 8, on two charges: intentionally selling a dangerous weapon to a person under the age of 18, a felony, and contributing to the delinquency of a child, also a felony.
…
“What should never be controversial is that children should never have the opportunity to use a gun to harm a classmate, a loved one or a teacher, whether by accident or on purpose guns are not a solution to conflict and we must stop normalizing their use and their accessibility,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said during a press conference Thursday.
Wisconsin isn’t a mandatory storage state, but it does have provisions for charging parents who are reckless in leaving guns where their kids can access them.
However, what’s not clear is just how Rupnow was allegedly reckless.
I seem to recall at least some mention by the daughter that she knew how to get around the security Rupnow thought was sufficient to keep the gun secure, which may suggest that he took reasonable precautions and was unaware his daughter knew how to access the weapon.
Of course, that was also in the early days after the incident and may not have been accurate.
This might also have little to do with the shooting itself, though the mayor’s comments suggest otherwise. Still, I’d be surprised if Rupnow sold his daughter the gun, if for no other reason than it’s his daughter.
If he’s a dirtbag parent, though, then one might argue that all of these charges are certainly warranted. I’m not so sure, even if he was a terrible parent.
This is the third time I can recall seeing charges leveled at a parent for the murders committed (allegedly) by their kids. Michigan successfully prosecuted the parents of the Oxford shooter, and Georgia is prosecuting the Apalachee High School shooter’s father right now. With this, it’s becoming a trend, which is concerning to some degree.
It’s not that I don’t think parents are responsible so much as I fear that this is just an excuse to seek retribution because just prosecuting the killer, when it’s even possible, just doesn’t feel like enough.
On the other hand, negligence that results in someone’s death or serious injury has long been prosecuted in the United States, and this could be argued as just an extension of this.
Still, I find it troubling, but much of that is simply a lack of trust in the legal system to actually pursue charges fairly versus prosecutors just trying to make a name for themselves.
Read the full article here
