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submitted 10 months ago by Stopthatgirl7@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

The father of the mass shooting suspect accused of killing four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, told investigators this week he had purchased the gun used in the killings as a holiday present for his son in December 2023, according to two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.

Colt Gray, a 14-year-old student, is accused of killing two students and two teachers with an AR-style rifle in the Wednesday shooting. Nine more people were hospitalized.

One source told CNN the AR-15-style rifle was purchased at a local gun store as a Christmas present.

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[-] TipRing@lemmy.world 318 points 10 months ago

So his son was being investigated for making threats to shoot up the school and he decided that the best gift was a gun that could allow his son to act on those threats.

Charging him in connection with the shooting seems appropriate.

[-] burgersc12@mander.xyz 117 points 10 months ago

"Who could have seen this coming?" -the father probably

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 40 points 10 months ago

I bet physical and/or verbal abuse was abundant in that household, probably spousal abuse as well, up to and including sexual and financial.

[-] jordanlund@lemmy.world 43 points 10 months ago

No sexual abuse reported, but everything else, yeah.

More red flags than a May Day Parade, like usual.

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[-] phoneymouse@lemmy.world 149 points 10 months ago

Call me crazy, but I don’t think children should own guns.

[-] tills13@lemmy.world 95 points 10 months ago

But but the real issue is them being exposed to drag queens!

[-] Fedizen@lemmy.world 33 points 10 months ago

imagine how much worse this would be if the child in question went to drag time story hour instead of being given a killing machine! /s

[-] HostilePasta@lemmy.ml 19 points 10 months ago

Drag queen story times are of the devil! ( The Christians say while attending church where someone dresses up and reads stories).

[-] answersplease77@lemmy.world 50 points 10 months ago

he gifted him a gun to protect him from school shooting. that's right-wing logic

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[-] lauha@lemmy.one 37 points 10 months ago

Call me crazy, but I don't think civilians should own AR-15s

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[-] Today@lemmy.world 17 points 10 months ago

I grew up in a rural area with just my mom. We had two handguns and a shotgun hidden in the house. Anytime we went walking in the pasture a gun came with us in case of snakes or wild dogs and a couple of times per year i was required to shoot at cans with each one. I wasn't interested in them and didn't like shooting them, but understood her desire for me to feel comfortable using them 'just in case'. We often took long road trips to visit family and would stop to nap in rest areas for a few hours. The small handgun was always beside the driver's seat. It was the 70s and early 80s and nothing was locked. 22 in the nightstand drawer, 38 in a dresser drawer, and shotgun behind her bedroom door - all loaded and ready. It didn't seem weird; it was just what my mom did to try to keep us safe.

[-] Eezyville@sh.itjust.works 105 points 10 months ago

Why these people giving weapons to their kids before they're even in high school?

[-] TimLovesTech@badatbeing.social 78 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I could see if you're really into guns and you want to teach your kid the importance of gun safety, etc. But that firearm should 110% be under lock and key so that the child has no way to access it outside of parental supervision. This sounds like gross negligence, and a disturbing trend of parents for whatever reason buying troubled youth firearms in what I think most would consider counter to good judgement.

Edit - Ugh... It's even worse after reading this part..

The timeline the teen’s father provided to authorities would put the gun purchase months after authorities first contacted Gray and his family to investigate school shooting threats made online.

[-] ModernEraCaveman@lemmy.world 38 points 10 months ago

If your kid is really into guns, then buy them a bb gun for fucks sake. Teach them gun safety with something that won’t kill anyone. What kind of brain dead parents are out there thinking that buying a child a gun is a good idea? THE KID’S NOT EVEN OLD ENOUGH TO DRIVE FFS

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[-] jballs@sh.itjust.works 20 points 10 months ago

Why these people giving weapons to their kids after the sheriff first contacted you to investigate school shooting threats your kid made online,

[-] Chozo@fedia.io 19 points 10 months ago

I think part of the reason for this is that you have a lot of these dipshit parents who see headlines like this and think "the LiBeRaLs are going to use this week's school shooting as justification for taking our guns; I'll show them, I'll give my children guns and be the proof that guns aren't the problem". At least, with how often I see the sentiment of "well my kids have guns and haven't killed anybody" across social media, that's my assumption.

They all think they're responsible gun owners. And maybe some of them are. Hell, maybe most of them are. But a non-zero amount aren't, and we need to have safeguards in place instead of "nothing we can do but pray for stronger doors on the schools".

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[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago

Why giving waepons to a child at all?

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[-] 2pt_perversion@lemmy.world 95 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

My dad gave me a gun for one of my earlier birthdays. It was a bolt action .22 that went right into a gun safe that I couldn't access...It was a pretty shitty present as I didn't enjoy hunting at the time but in retrospect I'm glad I learned gun safety and shooting.

Why the fuck would you buy a 14 year old an AR15 style rifle, especially after he already had a history of making school shooting threats at school? Dude deserves prison for a long time.

[-] kandoh@reddthat.com 34 points 10 months ago

Respecting a gun as a deadly weapon makes you a pussy. Your gun is like your dick, only better because you can buy a really big one instead of being stuck with what nature gave you.

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[-] Commiunism@lemmy.wtf 61 points 10 months ago

My pragmatic side is absolutely disgusted with this - why would you gift a gun to your kid while living in an urban area? It makes no practical sense other than fueling this weird American obsession with guns.

I understand giving your teen kid a hunting rifle if you live in a rural area and go hunting sometimes, but not an AR in a city - it's just asking for trouble.

[-] Machinist@lemmy.world 26 points 10 months ago

My fourteen year has a few guns. 20 gauge single shot break barrel, .410 single shot break barrel, bolt action .22 rifle and a single action .22 revolver. (Single action revolvers are the really old school kind where you have to cock the hammer each time it shoots. It's a damn big revolver as well, good luck concealing it.) They are used for varmint control and hunting. The revolver is great for rat shot and he has taken quite a few gophers with it. He understands what guns do and how they cause death.

We hunt, fish, camp, kayak, live on a tiny farm.

I don't own an AR, don't have use for one at this time. Giving a kid an AR and uncontrolled access to it in an urban environment is nucking futz. My son has access to his guns because I trust him to safely and respectfully use them. He also has been trained in their proper use since he was 7 or 8.

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[-] Maggoty@lemmy.world 24 points 10 months ago

After police talked to you about the kid having made online threats to do a school shooting.

He knew. And he gave him a gun anyways. I hope he gets convicted and sued into the ground.

[-] billwashere@lemmy.world 16 points 10 months ago

I grew up in rural WV. We were given a Ruger 10/22 for our 10th birthday. Now it was in my father’s locked gun cabinet and I couldn’t just go get it when I wanted but it was mine. We’d take it plinking in the woods on the weekend sometimes. Well when he wasn’t shit faced drunk but I digress …

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[-] Maggoty@lemmy.world 60 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

After they had been contacted by investigators over concerns the kid wanted to do a school shooting.

This is why red flag laws need to be a thing.

The buried lede-

The timeline the teen’s father provided to authorities would put the gun purchase months after authorities first contacted Gray and his family to investigate school shooting threats made online.

[-] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 34 points 10 months ago

Sounds like accessory to murder to me.

[-] TheRealJefe@lemmy.world 28 points 10 months ago

Funny that, Colin Gray, father of Colt (the shooter) has been officially charged

[-] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 13 points 10 months ago

2 counts of murder 2

4 counts of involuntary manslaughter

8 counts of cruelty to children

I wonder how they settled on 2 counts of murder. Maybe that implies they think 2 victims were targetted and 2 were in the wrong place at the wrong time?

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[-] ravhall@discuss.online 55 points 10 months ago

Welp, send the man to jail for aiding and abetting murder.

[-] Stopthatgirl7@lemmy.world 32 points 10 months ago

He has, in fact, been arrested.

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[-] billwashere@lemmy.world 45 points 10 months ago

What’s wrong with legos. Nobody is ever killed with legos.

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[-] Manifish_Destiny@lemmy.world 44 points 10 months ago

I was gifted a shotgun at 15. It was a double barrel break action shotgun from my grandmother.

I kept it in a gun rack my grandfather left me hanging on my wall. I never had issues, but if one of my friends wanted access, it probably could have been stolen.

Lock up your guns.

[-] selokichtli@lemmy.ml 34 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Americans need to analyze their views surrounding guns. And take their time. It's mind-blowing to try to make them understand guns are risky, regardless of handling, trigger discipline, or any other bullshit they tell themselves. The mere existence of guns is dangerous, the bigger the number of guns out there is the amount of accidents, shootings and massacres waiting to happen out there.

Edit: yeah, pushed some buttons here. Good.

[-] Maggoty@lemmy.world 18 points 10 months ago

Who have you been talking to? 80 percent of Americans want gun control laws like a universal background check. For a general question of more strict laws support is at 60 percent.

Here's a former Supreme Court judge saying the conservatives have hijacked the second amendment and we in response we should repeal it.

Washington Post reports that around that same period 21 percent of Americans were ready to repeal it.

We're out here, and we're pissed. We just get angrier every time time we see a headline and every time it turns out that common sense gun laws were subverted by people in authority.

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[-] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago

It's funny (in a sad way) how people who frequent shooting ranges - which usually have very strict rules regarding firearm discipline and handling safety - are fine with allowing every schmuck in the world to walk around packing. If that shit is so important on a gun range, why would it be unimportant out in the world?

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[-] ElcaineVolta@kbin.melroy.org 32 points 10 months ago

it's odd that they used "holiday present" in the headline, but the article says-

One source told CNN the AR-15-style rifle was purchased at a local gun store as a Christmas present.

it's like they didn't want christmas in the same headline as the mass shooting or something?

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[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 25 points 10 months ago

AR-15-style

Sociopaths raising a sociopath. We have to stop the race to the bottom, triggering people isn't cool, it has serious repercussions, as noted in presidential races, even.

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[-] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 24 points 10 months ago

If you can Ban someone from buying their CHILD a GUN after that Child makes THREATS TO SHOOT UP HIS SCHOOL that's SOCIALISM! SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED!

[-] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 19 points 10 months ago

Child soldiers are an essential bulwark against government tyranny!

[-] Kit 24 points 10 months ago

My father also bought me a gun as a birthday present as a teenager, and looking back it was wholly inappropriate and dangerous. Granted, I never had thoughts of killing people.

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[-] RagingRobot@lemmy.world 21 points 10 months ago

Is he named Colt after the gun?

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[-] MellowYellow13@lemmy.world 20 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Guns kill people. Wow it's so complicated. Americans need to examine their culture

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[-] ultranaut@lemmy.world 17 points 10 months ago

Did they really name him after a gun too?

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[-] dogsnest@lemmy.world 17 points 10 months ago

It's the perfect hunting rifle for when a herd of deer stampedes.

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this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2024
547 points (100.0% liked)

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