[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

There is no slippery slope. Children are allowed to have fists. 16-year-olds are allowed to drive cars. 16 year olds are not allowed to buy weapons.

In Florida:

A minor under 18 can possess a firearm at home if it is unloaded and they are participating in legal activities. These activities include hunting and sporting events under the supervision of a parent, guardian, or certified instructor.

So if the kid is NOT being supervised by a parent, guardian, or certified instructor, then the kid is NOT allowed to possess the firearm.

You also have to be 21 in order to buy one in Florida.

Your parents are responsible for you until you turn 18. If the kid got their gun from their home, either they had the supervision of their parent/guardian - in which case the parent/guardian is guilty of aiding and abetting the kid's crime - or they didn't have that supervision - in which case the parent is guilty of negligence.

That parents are being charged at all proves there is a slope and your last paragraph describes how slippery it is.

This seems like the equivalent of looking for deep pockets in a lawsuit. If the person committing the crime is a minor then you can also go after the parents for your pound of flesh.

I'm sure there are some cases where the parents truly were negligent and should face some repercussions. Maybe thus is one of those cases. But charging parents ought to be the rars exception and not the new standard.