Highland Park - Chicago Mass Shooter - Mental Illness & The Parents

It is truly unbelievable that Robert Crimo, the mass shooter in upscale Highland Park outside Chicago purchased guns at 19 years old with his father's approval, which was required since Crimo was under 21.  Robert Crimo Senior signed the forms required by the state to permit his son to buy guns even though both parents knew this kid had both mental issues and other encounters with the law.   Crimo junior had also threatened suicide many times and to kill his whole family.  So these were legally purchased guns, since nothing in a background check would have otherwise prohibited the purchase of multiple guns.  This kid also had a collection of lethal knives that could have been used to murder.  

We learned today that Crimo planned to drive 150 miles to Madison, Wisconsin to murder people at their July 4th parade, as well.  Fortunately, that did not happen.  So now we have a situation where the father for sure and maybe even the mother should be charged with some degree of murder, since they knowingly assisted their son with buying guns legally.  This case must be prosecuted to set a precedent.  Again, this was the classic example of a dysfunctional family.  It has been reported that there were constant arguments between father and mother and "not much love" in the home.  These parents apparently neglected their two sons. 

In this case, more gun laws would have done nothing to prevent this tragedy from happening.  This is a clear case of parental neglect and malfeasance.  Both parents must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law to make it very clear that parents who aid and abet murder must also pay the price of jail time.  This story is not unusual.  More often than not mass murderers come from dysfunctional families.  They tend to be loners who were bullied in school.  These are young people with serious mental issues.  Crimo was well known to police in the area who had referred him for mental treatment.  Young people likely to commit mass murders must be on a watch list.  It could also be that social services must be involved with dysfunctional families to help stop what could be child abuse and neglect.  

This Blogger has said many times that mass shootings are not about guns; but rather the psychosis that makes the shooter commit these crimes.  This is a complex story that can only be addressed by additional mental illness treatment that should start in elementary school.  The simple answer of more gun laws will do nothing to solve this national crisis.