Prosecutor: Mom bought weapons for boy

[Prrkitty]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/12/student.arsenal/index.html

Quote: Michele Cossey, 46, faces charges in connection with her son's alleged plan for a Columbine-like attack on a school. She is accused of buying him a .22-caliber handgun, a .22-caliber rifle, a 9 mm semiautomatic rifle and black powder used to make grenades.

Quote: The boy's father, Frank Cossey, also could face criminal charges pending an investigation, police said.

Police said Frank Cossey was sentenced to house arrest for failing to acknowledge a 1981 manslaughter conviction when he tried to buy a .22-caliber rifle for his son in 2005, The Associated Press reported.

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I just can't understand why parents would *willingly* and *deliberately* think it's ok/a good idea to buy their child weapons. It just doesn't make sense... common sense or otherwise. Especially since the kid is known to have emotional/mental issues and is considered to be a "social outcast".

EDIT: Here's the FOXNews article: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301379,00.html

[GamerMan]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/12/student.arsenal/index.html

Quote: Michele Cossey, 46, faces charges in connection with her son's alleged plan for a Columbine-like attack on a school. She is accused of buying him a .22-caliber handgun, a .22-caliber rifle, a 9 mm semiautomatic rifle and black powder used to make grenades.

Quote: The boy's father, Frank Cossey, also could face criminal charges pending an investigation, police said.

Police said Frank Cossey was sentenced to house arrest for failing to acknowledge a 1981 manslaughter conviction when he tried to buy a .22-caliber rifle for his son in 2005, The Associated Press reported.

------

I just can't understand why parents would *willingly* and *deliberately* think it's ok/a good idea to buy their child weapons. It just doesn't make sense... common sense or otherwise. Especially since the kid is known to have emotional/mental issues and is considered to be a "social outcast".Thats messed up,and did you all here about that shooting,at some high tec school a day or 2 ago,some emo kid shot his teacher in the back and then did his self(crazy)people thease days.

[Masamune]

I pass that school everyday on my way to school. I also know someone who went to school with the kid at Whitemarsh for a year. Apparently the kid was a fat racist dickhole that was made fun of every day.

[biggiy05]

I pass that school everyday on my way to school. I also know someone who went to school with the kid at Whitemarsh for a year. Apparently the kid was a fat racist dickhole that was made fun of every day.

Of course that had no affect on him and couldn't be one reason why he wanted to go shoot up a school.

I'd like to know what kids think they are proving if they go into a school and shoot teachers or fellow students. The world is a fucked up place with some very fucked up people.

[GamerMan]

Of course that had no affect on him and couldn't be one reason why he wanted to go shoot up a school.

I'd like to know what kids think they are proving if they go into a school and shoot teachers or fellow students. The world is a fucked up place with some very fucked up people.For once I agree with you,(wierd) there have been so many diffrent school shootings,and it needs to stop left and right we see them on the news,WHEN will it stop,my guess is when there is no more guns left,but thats a bit of a bland point of view.

[Breaker]

I'd like to know what kids think they are proving if they go into a school and shoot teachers or fellow students. The world is a fucked up place with some very fucked up people.

You just answered your own question.

[erm2003]

I was just reading this article before I came on here. This is just disturbing. What an amazing lack of common sense and parenting skills.

[AtmaWeapon]

Eh I've technically owned 3 rifles and a shotgun since I was 8, and acquired an SKS at 16. They were my great-grandfather's guns and I inherited them. By law I do not own them, but the understanding was that they were mine and in an excellent demonstration of respect my father would ask my permission before using them.

Then again, they were not kept in my room and the rifles were only removed when we went hunting. I was taught two key principles: murder is not a good idea and guns are dangerous tools that should be treated with as much respect as possible.

I think there's a difference between a teenager in Mississippi owning guns and a teenager in Philadelphia owning guns. There's lots of things to shoot at in Mississippi, including (but not limited to) deer, doves, squirrels, snakes, and stop signs. The guns I own are excellent for shooting these kinds of animals, and in the event that someone attempts to violate my states' rights I can leave an exit wound you can toss a baseball through from 400 yards away. I'm pretty sure in Philadelphia there's squirrels and stop signs, but when it comes to hunting opportunities I'm not so sure. There are two-legged snakes, but you still aren't really supposed to shoot those. Also the guns I'm looking are made for killing people, not game, that doesn't help.

What I'm getting at is I don't think the answer to "Is it OK for parents to buy a gun for their child?" is a question that can be answered without a lot of context. What's interesting to me is that the article implies the parents knew their kid was up to no good and purchased guns to assist his plans. This will be difficult to prove to a jury, but it seems the article is a bit sparse on the descriptions of the weapons involved; the pictures I see suggest "small arms cache" instead of "guns for a kid".

Also instead of "skin-tight shirt that highlights the fact that my belly can conceal my penis" the kid should have worn one of his silk button-up shirts with the dragon on it. The swords in the picture tell me the kid has at least 3.

[Glitch]

I'm sure that family is fucked up, but I highly doubt they bought him the guns so he could shoot up the school. Some people just like guns, hell I love them. My best friend's dad had bought him 3 or 4 guns before he had turned 18.

Now, it is the parents responsibility to know that their son/daughter is mature enough to have the guns which they clearly failed to do here.

[GamerMan]

I'm sure that family is fucked up, but I highly doubt they bought him the guns so he could shoot up the school. Some people just like guns, hell I love them. My best friend's dad had bought him 3 or 4 guns before he had turned 18.

Now, it is the parents responsibility to know that their son/daughter is mature enough to have the guns which they clearly failed to do here.FALSE!You never know when someone muture with a gun will snap and shoot up a school,though it's a fact some people like guns you should not buy them for your kids under 18 even if there muture, i'm muture and whould you trust me with a gun?didnot think so;)

[Glitch]

FALSE!You never know when someone muture with a gun will snap and shoot up a school,though it's a fact some people like guns you should not buy them for your kids under 18 even if there muture, i'm muture and whould you trust me with a gun?didnot think so;)

For fucks sake. If you're going to reply to me at least take the 5 minutes it takes to make sure I can understand what the hell you are saying.

You're far from what I'd consider mature.


Exposing kids to guns at an early age not only can teach them gun safety but also imbeds a respect for firearms in them.

[GamerMan]

For fucks sake. If you're going to reply to me at least take the 5 minutes it takes to make sure I can understand what the hell you are saying.

You're far from what I'd consider mature.


Exposing kids to guns at an early age not only can teach them gun safety but also imbeds a respect for firearms in them.I thought you whould say something like that,so here:IT IS WRONG TO BUY KIDS GUNS you may not see that for what reason I donot know, but you are wrong!

[Glitch]

I thought you whould say something like that,so here:IT IS WRONG TO BUY KIDS GUNS you may not see that for what reason I donot know, but you are wrong!

No.

It's wrong to buy immature retarded kids guns. The school around here even give 1-2 days off school so kids can go hunting. I can guarantee that most of the kids that go have their owns guns. Hell, my mom is a third grade teacher and usually at least 1 or 2 of her students go hunting. Granted they don't prolly own their own guns that young, but they are sure as hell shooting them.

Guess how many school shootings and/or kids bring guns to school?

No school shootings and one kid got in trouble my senior year for leaving his rifle in the gun rack of his truck (hunting season). They didn't even consider that he was gonna shoot the school up.

[GamerMan]

No.

It's wrong to buy immature retarded kids guns. The school around here even give 1-2 days off school so kids can go hunting. I can guarantee that most of the kids that go have their owns guns. Hell, my mom is a third grade teacher and usually at least 1 or 2 of her students go hunting. Granted they don't prolly own their own guns that young, but they are sure as hell shooting them.

Guess how many school shootings and/or kids bring guns to school?

No school shootings and one kid got in trouble my senior year for leaving his rifle in the gun rack of his truck (hunting season). They didn't even consider that he was gonna shoot the school up.Your still missing the point buying guns for kids is wrong,you may not see that becuse your trying to make your self look good, but it is,and if they hunt and the parents supervise them I see no problem,but the moral of this story(had you listen)is a mother got her son guns, not for hunting!,I whould guess.

[erm2003]

The problem is not buying a gun for the kid to go hunting. It's buying the kid a gun when he is constantly being made fun of, is emotionally disturbed, and is a social outcast. There is a whole different side to the issue. Based on all the signs and evidence they have seen so far, if he wasn't caught ahead of time she may have supplied the murder weapon in another massacre.

[GamerMan]

The problem is not buying a gun for the kid to go hunting. It's buying the kid a gun when he is constantly being made fun of, is emotionally disturbed, and is a social outcast. There is a whole different side to the issue. Based on all the signs and evidence they have seen so far, if he wasn't caught ahead of time she may have supplied the murder weapon in another massacre.Exatly,least someone else can see the moral of this thread,anyway it happens to much,way to much but what are some things we can do to prevent it??thats what we need to think about,and not giveing kids guns(like I said)will most likly help!

[Pineconn]

http://www.armageddongames.net/forums/images/styles/classicblack/reputation/reputation_neg.gifhttp://www.armageddongames.net/forums/images/styles/classicblack/reputation/reputation_neg.gifhttp://www.armageddongames.net/forums/images/styles/classicblack/reputation/reputation_neg.gifhttp://www.armageddongames.net/forums/images/styles/classicblack/reputation/reputation_neg.gifhttp://www.armageddongames.net/forums/images/styles/classicblack/reputation/reputation_neg.gifhttp://www.armageddongames.net/forums/images/styles/classicblack/reputation/reputation_highneg.gifhttp://www.armageddongames.net/forums/images/styles/classicblack/reputation/reputation_highneg.gifhttp://www.armageddongames.net/forums/images/styles/classicblack/reputation/reputation_highneg.gifhttp://www.armageddongames.net/forums/images/styles/classicblack/reputation/reputation_highneg.gifhttp://www.armageddongames.net/forums/images/styles/classicblack/reputation/reputation_highneg.gifhttp://www.armageddongames.net/forums/images/styles/classicblack/reputation/reputation_highneg.gif
GamerMan is a waste of bandwidth

Huh? Do I smell an abuse of power that brings about a hilarious effect? :lmao:

Anyway, I agree with Glitch on this one. By no means does exposing kids to a firearm make them want to go out on a shooting rampage. As Glitch said, if a parent or instructor properly educates the child about gun safety and proper handling, there is no reason that the kid would bring it to school in order to cause harm unless he has some sort of mental problem. We have the Second Amendment, so let it be.

[GamerMan]

Huh? Do I smell an abuse of power that brings about a hilarious effect? :lmao:

Anyway, I agree with Glitch on this one. By no means does exposing kids to a firearm make them want to go out on a shooting rampage. As Glitch said, if a parent or instructor properly educates the child about gun safety and proper handling, there is no reason that the kid would bring it to school in order to cause harm unless he has some sort of mental problem. We have the Second Amendment, so let it be.I made a deal with the Darkdragondevil thats why I have max bad karmas,it got so anoying watching my karmas go from red, to green, then red, to green, so now it's just red(thank god)


Anyway I kinda said that,but also what I said is, it's wrong to give kids guns. That has and will be proved time and time again!

[biggiy05]

Anyway I kinda said that,but also what I said is, it's wrong to give kids guns. That has and will be proved time and time again!

There is nothing wrong with giving a kid a gun if they know how to use it. The kids who and go shoot up schools don't go ask their parents to borrow the 12 gauge or the 9mm handgun. They steal them from their parents or other people and go on the mass spree only to kill them selves which is what they deserve.

I see no problem with giving a kid a gun as long as he knows how to properly use it and clean it. I see a problem with giving a gun to a kid that has KNOWN mental issues or has obvious problems.

[AtmaWeapon]

You guys are completely missing the interesting point of discussion while bickering about a different point.

GamerMan, there is nothing wrong with exercising responsible judgment when determining if a kid is responsible enough to own a gun. You cannot argue that it is morally wrong, because it only becomes morally wrong in context.

For example, suppose a kid lives in an area where hunting is prevalent, and he has displayed responsibility and maturity. There is no reason to believe that letting the kid handle a gun will have definite bad consequences, and there is nothing morally wrong with letting a child handle a gun if you properly educate him on gun safety.

This article, however, suggests the parents knew their son was unstable. It goes so far as to suggest that they bought particularly suspicious items to help him with the plan for a school shooting. In this context, they were morally wrong, but it is because the situation is now different. This was not "buying a gun for a kid", it was "buying a gun for an individual with plans to murder other people". The former can be a responsible decision that helps the child learn responsibility; the latter is a foolish choice that can end in nothing but tragedy.

[The_Amaster]

Yeah, I read this in the paper no more than 10 minuites ago. Knew I'd find it here.
Man, that mother was messed up. I mean, as some people have said, if she believed she was buying him a hunting gun, I could maybe see her point of view.
But how do you mistake that stuff for anything other than what he meant to use it for?

[SUCCESSOR]

Sounds to me that like some asshole dad scared shitless from a nearby event called the police on a kid who probably bragged too much about his gun collection.

Naturally upon raiding the house police assumed by the black powder and "instruments to make grenades" (whatever the hell those are) and an entry in his diary where he admitted his hatred for the school and all the dirty fucks in it that he was planning a massive act of terror. Ha!

He'll go down for it for sure. You just call someone a terrorist in this country and people feel the need to feel like they've accomplished something.

[AtmaWeapon]

Sounds to me that like some asshole dad scared shitless from a nearby event called the police on a kid who probably bragged too much about his gun collection.

Naturally upon raiding the house police assumed by the black powder and "instruments to make grenades" (whatever the hell those are) and an entry in his diary where he admitted his hatred for the school and all the dirty fucks in it that he was planning a massive act of terror. Ha!

He'll go down for it for sure. You just call someone a terrorist in this country and people feel the need to feel like they've accomplished something.See, I really want to sympathize with your point. However, there's some interesting issues at play here.

People are so horrified by the concept of school shootings that in the aftermath of one some form of preventative action is demanded. The only real preventative action that can be taken is to attempt to find a pattern among the shooters and pay close attention to people that match these patterns. Normally, people don't like the idea of arrests before a crime is committed, but in the current environment the general public is content to accept this so long as there is reasonable proof that the kid could have been dangerous.

Given this environment, people that display the following qualities are considered suspicious: Social outcasts; people who aren't just alone because they are creepy but because they say they don't like other people White kids because other races are smart enough to kill the one person that pisses them off the most, and they do it at night with no witnesses as opposed to going to a building with lots of witnesses. Fat kids because it causes #1. Angry or depressed kids because generally happy people don't shoot others. Kids with relatively large weapons collections. Kids who write about their anger and hatred in diaries, bathroom walls, desks, etc.Every condition on that list adds a point to your "Suspicion Counter". The higher the suspicion counter, the more likely there's someone somewhere that seriously believes the child is plotting a violent outburst. I do not suggest this is correct behavior; I am merely pointing out an observation.

Now, with this in mind, if you are a rational person worried about whether you are going to face an investigation, you'll look to minimize the number of items on the list. Angry, depressed white kids with guns are OK as long as they have a few friends and don't make a public display of how much they wish they could kill other people. Hermits who write hate poetry but have no guns are generally ignored. Angry not-white kids with lots of guns and hatred are treated with respect because no one wants to be on the top of their list.

This kid was angry, a loner, fat, white, had guns, and wrote about how much he hated other people. It was inevitable that someone would pull the fire alarm on him, and it just so happens a recent shooting has that area in a frenzy to make their schools more safe. My point is if I were that kid, I would have started storing my guns in my parents' room, tossed out my diary, and anything else to minimize the number of points I have on the above list. Had he done this, there would have been a search of the house, but the kid would have come clean.

The kid shouldn't see jail time because he hasn't really done anything wrong. It is fairly likely he's unstable though, and I think some kind of therapy is an appropriate solution. The mother might deserve jail time simply because buying guns for a mentally unstable individual is ridiculously irresponsible. If I were the judge, I'd let her take 6 months in a weight loss clinic instead just to do her a favor. The father definitely deserves some punishment because failure to report a manslaughter conviction when applying for a gun is a pretty cut-and-dried violation of the law.

[cyberkitten]

the whole phenomenon is bizarre. there were a lot of kids i went to school with that hated school and people are bound to hate other people. especially if someone picks on them. hell, i hated school because i was bored and i felt like it was pointless for me to be there when i could have just tested out. i thought it was a colossal waste of my time and i'd have been much happier in college courses where i'd feel like i was accomplishing something. there were people in my school i liked, and quite a few that i disliked and some that i would have run down with my car if i'd had the chance. however, shooting up the school wasn't an option. it just wasn't done. it wasn't acceptable and it didn't really cross anybody's mental radar to take that course of action.
did i want to run ashley chance over because he was an unsufferable dickhead? hell yes. would i have done it? probably not, because i was unlikely to get away with it and it wasn't use ruining my life to make my point. did it ever occur to me to take a gun to school and blow his head off? nope. but now, it seems that in a way it's a valid course of action when you hate yourself and the people around you and you want to rebel against it all. they need to fix the mindset that lets these kids believe it's an option. not necessarily go on a witch hunt and single out the "losers", thus validating their belief that they are indeed living in hell and it'll never get any better, and therefore it's ok to end it all by shooting up a school.

[Aegix Drakan]

/me smacks head

ok...If the guy is unstable, and an outcast, AND he wrote abou this hate like that, it's possible that he MIGHT have commited another school shooting.

...Ok, I'm against guns being publicly available anyway (less available guns = less shootings, no?) but I do respect the fact that my lovely neighbors down south have the right to bear arms. If a person is responsible enough to have a gun in the house (for hunting, or in case a burglar comes calling), then fine, that's good. but when a mom can buy guns for their kid that easy...there is a problem.

And just WHY did the mom buy those guns in the first place? What mom in the world gives their kid a gun as a gift? especially when said kid is not totally stable?

[/my 2 cents]


Oh, and Gamerman...I've never see reputation go that low so fast...I think you might have just set a world record.