Culpable Caring - Holding Families of Killers to Account

The judge in the bond hearing for the Charleston killer commiserated with all the victims of the shooting at the Emanuel AME church. He stated that in addition to the the people murdered the family of the killer were also victims of the atrocity. According to him, they did not ask to be caught up in this tragedy. As an aside, there are reports that the judge who has previously been censured for using racist language has now been taken off the case. 

I don't see the family in this particular case as equally victimised by this crime. They may have been victims of issues in their own background and personal circumstances but with regards the killings they are equally culpable. They had in their care a young man who is misguided, deeply prejudiced and borderline sociopathic yet they appear to have done very little to seek help and counselling for him. Instead, they bought him a gun for his 21st birthday. It is little wonder that shortly afterwards he carried out a premeditated shooting to death of nine worshippers in a Black church. 

Even if the killer's father thought he might be being bullied and bought him a gun for self protection, it seems to be the wrong message to give to a troubled youth. It suggests that this was a household that endorsed violence; and was most likely very much steeped in it. Parents who expect that their accepting attitudes to violence won't influence, and eventually scar their own children are quite mistaken. Parents who are violent or routinely resort to violence are setting up their children to become caught up in a culture and lifestyle of violence. 

There are a lot of victims of gun violence and America's obsession with being armed. Statistics suggest threre are more victims of personal and domestic shootings than criminal shootings in America. That points to a society that has got it very wrong on gun control. However, families who don't do enough to look after their children who might be going through emotional turmoil and upheaval have to be held accountable for the havoc those children go on to wreak.