Who is Responsible for the discharge of a firearm?
Written by R. A. Stewart Just who is responsible for the outcome of the discharge of a firearm? Is it the person who is in possession of the firearm, the person who owns it but is not the person who fired it, the person who bought it as a gift for the person who discharged it, or accomplices to a different crime which resulted in a firearm related death? It all depends on which state we are talking about in the US. In one state, parents of a teenager bought him a firearm and he went and used it to kill several of his fellow students with it. He received a life without parole sentence while the parents were charged of a less serious crime because they supplied him with the firearm in the knowledge that he had mental issues. This law-abiding couple still received severe sentences. In this case it seems that they were made the scapegoat for their son’s behaviour. Florida is one of several states of America that has the “Felony law” in place. This is when a participant in a fatal crim...