Calls to revisit gun laws emerge in wake of Oxford teen mass shooting
FOX 2 - The shooting at Oxford High School is prompting calls for tougher laws to end gun violence. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says reforms are long overdue.
"People should be held accountable who own guns and are not responsible," said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.
McDonald isn't talking about the accused murderer and terrorist Ethan Crumbley, she's talking about the 15-year-old's parents.
"We are considering charges against both parents and we will be making decisions swiftly," she said.
A search warrant at the Oxford Village home of his parents James and Jennifer Crumbley was executed Tuesday night after the mass shooting at Oxford High School - investigators could be seen removing multiple guns from the home.
But it's the gun shown in a social media post attributed to Ethan Crumbley - that's at the center of the case.
The caption said, "Just got my new beauty today - Sig Sauer 9 mm. ask any questions I will answer."
"This was a recent weapon purchase - that he had been shooting with it and had posted pictures of a target and the weapon," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
Crumbley's social media accounts have been taken down but Sheriff Bouchard says the father purchased the gun legally on Black Friday.
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"One of the things that a responsible parent does, is that parent has to know where their firearm is - and they have to make sure it's not accessible to people who shouldn't have it," said Attorney Terry Johnson.
Johnson is also a gun-rights activist, a parent, and a former school board member, who says owning a gun means securing it.
"Wherever that firearm was - that kid had access to - and that's a problem," he said.
Johnson is advocating for better mental health care and metal detectors in schools - but Nessel says the law needs to change, as well.
"In Michigan, we don't have a Child Access Prevention law," Nessel said. "That simply requires a parent who brings a firearm into a home where there are children present to store that firearm safely and securely so that it can not be retrieved and utilized by that child."
But even without a Child Access Prevention law, Nessel says, parents can potentially face charges in cases like this.
"Absolutely - there are charges that could potentially be levied and one of them is involuntary manslaughter," the attorney general said. "Which is a 15-year offense."
A social media post attributed to mass shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley days before the teen allegedly carried out his attack at Oxford HS.
It is a decision Prosecutor Karen McDonald says will be made soon.
"We're going to hold the people responsible - accountable - and we're going to receive justice for these victims," said McDonald.