The 14yr old Winder Ga School Shooter

[Cocks are Number 1]

I’ve been reading a little about his background, and it’s heartbreaking.

His mother is a long time drug & alcohol addict, who has a long rap sheet, would drive the kids around drunk, lock them out of their own house in bad weather, etc etc. Hasn’t lived with the family for a while.

The dad (according to the paternal grandfather) abused the kids verbally, & seemed to be MIA consistently. The boy skipped school all of the time. He’s 14… WTH is the dad that he didn’t know this, or didn’t do anything about it?

Neighbors said the boy and his sister would show up at their back door asking for food, looking filthy (not like a kid playing outside). The grandmother and aunt called social services, the school system, and pleaded for the boy to get mental help. Pleaded… nothing.

All this being said, then the dad buys the kid (13-14 year old KID) an AR platform weapon for Christmas.

This kid had no chance, and certainly felt hopeless. This isn’t an excuse for anything he did, zero excuse. However, this country has a real problem when this type situation is a kid’s reality. Absentee & abusive parents, who are addicts.

No kid (or most adults) need an AR type weapon. I’ve had several, because I grew up with guns, love to shoot for sport/hunt, but they’re not necessary… and yes, they are downright scary. I’ve shot shotguns, hunting rifles, pistols all of my life. Shooting an AR is different.

All this being said, it’s heartbreaking that innocent people lost their lives, and families their loved ones. It’s also heartbreaking there are kids out there living a reality like the shooter. That truly is heartbreaking.

Guns such as ARs are certainly not making these situations better, but the real issues lie far within these stories. The drugs, the awful parents, the lack of loving/caring families.

Heartbreaking.

 

[nytigerfan]

I’ve been reading a little about his background, and it’s heartbreaking.

His mother is a long time drug & alcohol addict, who has a long rap sheet, would drive the kids around drunk, lock them out of their own house in bad weather, etc etc. Hasn’t lived with the family for a while.

The dad (according to the paternal grandfather) abused the kids verbally, & seemed to be MIA consistently. The boy skipped school all of the time. He’s 14… WTH is the dad that he didn’t know this, or didn’t do anything about it?

Neighbors said the boy and his sister would show up at their back door asking for food, looking filthy (not like a kid playing outside). The grandmother and aunt called social services, the school system, and pleaded for the boy to get mental help. Pleaded… nothing.

All this being said, then the dad buys the kid (13-14 year old KID) an AR platform weapon for Christmas.

This kid had no chance, and certainly felt hopeless. This isn’t an excuse for anything he did, zero excuse. However, this country has a real problem when this type situation is a kid’s reality. Absentee & abusive parents, who are addicts.

No kid (or most adults) need an AR type weapon. I’ve had several, because I grew up with guns, love to shoot for sport/hunt, but they’re not necessary… and yes, they are downright scary. I’ve shot shotguns, hunting rifles, pistols all of my life. Shooting an AR is different.

All this being said, it’s heartbreaking that innocent people lost their lives, and families their loved ones. It’s also heartbreaking there are kids out there living a reality like the shooter. That truly is heartbreaking.

Guns such as ARs are certainly not making these situations better, but the real issues lie far within these stories. The drugs, the awful parents, the lack of loving/caring families.

Heartbreaking.

Heard the dad was arrested. Good. Hope he spends the way of his life paying for what he did.

 

[UrHuckleberry]

I’ve been reading a little about his background, and it’s heartbreaking.

His mother is a long time drug & alcohol addict, who has a long rap sheet, would drive the kids around drunk, lock them out of their own house in bad weather, etc etc. Hasn’t lived with the family for a while.

The dad (according to the paternal grandfather) abused the kids verbally, & seemed to be MIA consistently. The boy skipped school all of the time. He’s 14… WTH is the dad that he didn’t know this, or didn’t do anything about it?

Neighbors said the boy and his sister would show up at their back door asking for food, looking filthy (not like a kid playing outside). The grandmother and aunt called social services, the school system, and pleaded for the boy to get mental help. Pleaded… nothing.

All this being said, then the dad buys the kid (13-14 year old KID) an AR platform weapon for Christmas.

This kid had no chance, and certainly felt hopeless. This isn’t an excuse for anything he did, zero excuse. However, this country has a real problem when this type situation is a kid’s reality. Absentee & abusive parents, who are addicts.

No kid (or most adults) need an AR type weapon. I’ve had several, because I grew up with guns, love to shoot for sport/hunt, but they’re not necessary… and yes, they are downright scary. I’ve shot shotguns, hunting rifles, pistols all of my life. Shooting an AR is different.

All this being said, it’s heartbreaking that innocent people lost their lives, and families their loved ones. It’s also heartbreaking there are kids out there living a reality like the shooter. That truly is heartbreaking.

Guns such as ARs are certainly not making these situations better, but the real issues lie far within these stories. The drugs, the awful parents, the lack of loving/caring families.

Heartbreaking.

Thought I read there was an incident where he threatened or said he wanted to do a school shooting, something like that, before he was bought the AR, and the dad was told. Wild.

 

[Cocks are Number 1]

Thought I read there was an incident where he threatened or said he wanted to do a school shooting, something like that, before he was bought the AR, and the dad was told. Wild.

Yes, it happened in May of ‘23. He and his dad were visited and questioned by the FBI and/or GBI. They told the father to simply keep the firearms locked up, and just let it go.

Any kid or person who makes any threat of this nature should be taken into custody, no question… and at a minimum, be evaluated and get mental help.

 

[UrHuckleberry]

Yes, it happened in May of ‘23. He and his dad were visited and questioned by the FBI and/or GBI. They told the father to simply keep the firearms locked up, and just let it go.

Any kid or person who makes any threat of this nature should be taken into custody, no question… and at a minimum, be evaluated and get mental help.

Yeah, I know there is a slippery slope concern for people etc, but feels like there should be some acceptable way to put some red flag laws in place that have acceptable limits or something.

 

[yoshi121374]

I’ve been reading a little about his background, and it’s heartbreaking.

His mother is a long time drug & alcohol addict, who has a long rap sheet, would drive the kids around drunk, lock them out of their own house in bad weather, etc etc. Hasn’t lived with the family for a while.

The dad (according to the paternal grandfather) abused the kids verbally, & seemed to be MIA consistently. The boy skipped school all of the time. He’s 14… WTH is the dad that he didn’t know this, or didn’t do anything about it?

Neighbors said the boy and his sister would show up at their back door asking for food, looking filthy (not like a kid playing outside). The grandmother and aunt called social services, the school system, and pleaded for the boy to get mental help. Pleaded… nothing.

All this being said, then the dad buys the kid (13-14 year old KID) an AR platform weapon for Christmas.

This kid had no chance, and certainly felt hopeless. This isn’t an excuse for anything he did, zero excuse. However, this country has a real problem when this type situation is a kid’s reality. Absentee & abusive parents, who are addicts.

No kid (or most adults) need an AR type weapon. I’ve had several, because I grew up with guns, love to shoot for sport/hunt, but they’re not necessary… and yes, they are downright scary. I’ve shot shotguns, hunting rifles, pistols all of my life. Shooting an AR is different.

All this being said, it’s heartbreaking that innocent people lost their lives, and families their loved ones. It’s also heartbreaking there are kids out there living a reality like the shooter. That truly is heartbreaking.

Guns such as ARs are certainly not making these situations better, but the real issues lie far within these stories. The drugs, the awful parents, the lack of loving/caring families.

Heartbreaking.

Absolutely true.

I have mentioned many times that my wife was a School Counselor in Elementary schools for 10 years prior to her current role with the District. These types of situations are everywhere. I asked her once how many of their students had both parents living in the homes. She said maybe 10% of these families had both parents. This is in Anderson,SC.

DHEC is so overwhelmed and they have very little actual power to remove kids, and when they do remove the kids, they often have nowhere to put them. Do you put a kid in a group home, remove them from their school and friends, or do you hope Dad gets his shit together? It's often a true no win situation.

Meth and years of poverty have destroyed many of these small towns and families. The schools are often the only stability,love, and support these kids have. That's why I tend to probably get overly defensive of schools when people ridicule them. What they do daily is so freaking hard and unappreciated.

I also get terrified when this stuff happens because I have no doubt that if a shooter enters a school where my wife is, she will willingly die to protect those kids.

I am similar to you in that I own guns, I have hunted some, and enjoy target shooting, but I also have no issue with stricter gun laws.

 

[yoshi121374]

Yes, it happened in May of ‘23. He and his dad were visited and questioned by the FBI and/or GBI. They told the father to simply keep the firearms locked up, and just let it go.

Any kid or person who makes any threat of this nature should be taken into custody, no question… and at a minimum, be evaluated and get mental help.

I think that I read that the comments were allegedly made in an online game forum and the FBI couldn't get the messages to confirm and the kid denied he said it. Just hard to stop unless the parent actually acts parental.

 

[Cocks are Number 1]

I think that I read that the comments were allegedly made in an online game forum and the FBI couldn't get the messages to confirm and the kid denied he said it. Just hard to stop unless the parent actually acts parental.

Sounds like neither of these parents were taking part in “parenting”. I have 2 boys, and there’s 2 sides of this to me…

1. The kid is guilty of a horrendous crime. Innocent people now face the worst reality possible because he did so.

2. The poor kid never had a chance, and my heart hurts for him.

 

[dbjork6317]

I’ve been reading a little about his background, and it’s heartbreaking.

His mother is a long time drug & alcohol addict, who has a long rap sheet, would drive the kids around drunk, lock them out of their own house in bad weather, etc etc. Hasn’t lived with the family for a while.

The dad (according to the paternal grandfather) abused the kids verbally, & seemed to be MIA consistently. The boy skipped school all of the time. He’s 14… WTH is the dad that he didn’t know this, or didn’t do anything about it?

Neighbors said the boy and his sister would show up at their back door asking for food, looking filthy (not like a kid playing outside). The grandmother and aunt called social services, the school system, and pleaded for the boy to get mental help. Pleaded… nothing.

All this being said, then the dad buys the kid (13-14 year old KID) an AR platform weapon for Christmas.

This kid had no chance, and certainly felt hopeless. This isn’t an excuse for anything he did, zero excuse. However, this country has a real problem when this type situation is a kid’s reality. Absentee & abusive parents, who are addicts.

No kid (or most adults) need an AR type weapon. I’ve had several, because I grew up with guns, love to shoot for sport/hunt, but they’re not necessary… and yes, they are downright scary. I’ve shot shotguns, hunting rifles, pistols all of my life. Shooting an AR is different.

All this being said, it’s heartbreaking that innocent people lost their lives, and families their loved ones. It’s also heartbreaking there are kids out there living a reality like the shooter. That truly is heartbreaking.

Guns such as ARs are certainly not making these situations better, but the real issues lie far within these stories. The drugs, the awful parents, the lack of loving/caring families.

Heartbreaking.

I wish our politicians weren’t so hell bent on getting “wins” over each other and lining their own pockets that we could actually make progress on solving all of these problems.

 

[yoshi121374]

I wish our politicians weren’t so hell bent on getting “wins” over each other and lining their own pockets that we could actually make progress on solving all of these problems.

Absolutely. I think there are some that would, but the political "fanboys" on both sides on the aisle just cannot abide compromise.

There are some issues that are so infuriating such as gun control and Abortion access that absolutely have room for compromise that most Americans are in favor of.