In the United States, the words “school” and “shooting” printed across news headlines is an eerily familiar sight, and the age of the perpetrators—and victims—only seems to be on the decline. Several arguments—partisan as well as moralistic—ensue as the world wants nothing more than to determine a motive to gain closure, thereby leaving one to ponder whether mass murderers are born or if they are a product of their environment, beginning with the attitudes and parenting styles of those who raised them. This was certainly the case in Oxford Township, Michigan, where 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley murdered four students and injured seven others in November 2021. In a classic case of parental negligence, Crumbley’s mother, Jennifer, has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter. There is no single factor or characteristic that is attributable to all mass murderers, but one thing is certain: parents’ complacence exacerbates the mental issues experienced by “at-risk” youth, thereby propelling them to view such violence as their only option to escape a life marked by tragedy; thus, prevention of mass murder must begin in the home. 

Due to phenomena like the “gun-show loophole” which allows people to purchase weapons without background checks, military-grade weapons can be dealt to just about anyone in the United States, and the only individual who can effectively intervene is a parent. In fact, the everyday distribution of such rifles is so normalized that assault rifles such as the AR-15 are recognized by the Sports Foundation as “modern sports rifles.” As seen in the infamous Columbine Massacre of 1999, Eric Harris, one of the perpetrators, had several pipe bombs in his room that his parents had purportedly seen yet refused to confront him about. This is analogous to the case of Crumbley, whose mother, according to PBS, was described as “grossly negligent” in supplying her son, who had expressed a need for professional help, with a gun. As reported by ABC News, Jennifer Crumbley’s text to her son, “You have to learn not to get caught,” when her son’s school reached out to inform her that her son had been researching “ammunition” on his cell phone in class was nothing short of compliance with her son’s alarming behavior. Although it is possible that Ethan Crumbley could have resorted to other means in order to obtain a weapon, his mother surely streamlined and facilitated the process, if not expressing approval for it altogether. 

Especially in cases where young people have been diagnosed with mental disorders, it is of utmost importance that parents should practice extra caution when it comes to parental control around assault weapons. Nancy Lanza, the mother of Sandy Hook Shooter Adam Lanza, lost her life along with 26 innocent lives taken on December 14, 2012 in Connecticut. As the details of the shooting were unveiled, it was evident that Mrs. Lanza was the person who taught her son how to use guns. She went above and beyond in her encouragement of gun use and used “target shooting as a way to bond with her troubled and withdrawn son,” as reported by Yahoo News. Instead of seeking ways to help Adam, who had been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, and Autism Spectrum Disorder (formerly known as Asperger’s Syndrome), she refused any treatment and instead continued to support her son’s interest in rifles. Although Adam might possibly have sought ways to hurt people, getting the treatment he needed and being steered away from guns by his mother might have resulted in a fuller and more joyful Sandy Hook Elementary School community. 

Enough has been said about the Second Amendment, the NRA, and gun control, but little has been done to focus on the lessons learned from the past tragedies. Rather than trying to change what is constant, it is time to educate parents to be vigilant and raise their children responsibly. In a country where the legal drinking age is 21, minors should not be allowed to use assault rifles let alone obtain them. No one can know for sure what goes on at home behind closed doors, so it is the responsibility of parents to know their children and bond with them in ways that will keep surrounding communities and society at large safe. It is time parents acted as the mature adults they are supposed to be in the house. This would just be the beginning of a long road, but the light at the end of the tunnel would be a safer America.