A Pennsylvania teen has been charged as an adult for allegedly planning to kill classmates he did not like before turning the gun on himself in a high school shooting spree, a Pennsylvania prosecutor said Tuesday.Richard Yanis allegedly stole three handguns from his father and told police he planned to "shoot students in the school and then himself" at Pottstown High School, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said in a press release.
Yanis, 15, was charged with attempted murder in adult court because juvenile law in Montgomery County excludes crimes committed with a deadly weapon, Ferman said.
Now, I don't know about you, but that attempted murder for a future event sure reminds me of Tom Cruise in Minority Report. I thought that was science fiction. And not only is the kid being charged with attempted murder, but it'll be as an adult. Why? For the simple reason that the "juvenile law in Montgomery County excludes crimes committed with a deadly weapon."
On the Fooqu site there's not much opinion, but they have posted a lovely picture of Richard. He looks like just the kind of kid they should send to the State Penitentiary. I say shame on those prosecutors who what to try him as an adult. Shame on all the law and order guys who think accountability for one's actions is paramount.
And what do you think about the "secured" guns that were stolen from the father? What kind of security is that supposed to be? In all the reports I read it was always stressed that the guns were "secure," I guess to say that the gun-loving father has no responsibility.
I say the gun-loving father has plenty of responsibility. Not only were the guns NOT secured properly, but he raised a boy so damaged that at the tender age of fifteen he wanted to kill his classmates and himself. Shame on you too, dad.
What's your opinion? Is it so difficult to properly secure guns in the home? Does a father bear some responsibility for the mental outcome of his children? What do you think about the friend who threw the guns in the creek? Even I cringed at that one.
"I say the gun-loving father has plenty of responsibility. Not only were the guns NOT secured properly, but he raised a boy so damaged that at the tender age of fifteen he wanted to kill his classmates and himself. Shame on you too, dad."
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the report I don't know about that. This whole thing unraveled because Dad called the cops as he should have when he notice his guns (which are locked up) were missing.
I don't know about the whole "Future Crime" thing. Kids to a LOT of talk, and not a whole lot of action.
I don't even know if I could blame Dad for "Raising a damaged Boy", I'd need to look further into this case. Maybe Dad's a vindictuve asshole that Son learned his problem solving skills...maybe Kid is just a little messed up as it happens from time to time, and Dad failed to diagnose the problem before now. Or anything in between.
In the end, he strikes me as a responsible gun owner, and all of this is because he took it VERY seriously when some of his collection vanished.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteYou are a hypocrite Sir.
Where is the compassion for this young person? Where are the questions about him being abused by his parents?
Of course, most abused children grow up to continue the cycle, so where are the questions about the dad's troubled past? Nope, not a one, instead you accuse him of raising a child "so damaged that at the tender age of fifteen he wanted to kill his classmates and himself."
Why no love for this family? Is it because they have firearms>
How about a little condemnation of the teen's class mates? Most school shooting suspects are not well socialized. So, where are the calls for the kids to be a little more compassionate, to reach out to this troubled youth?
How about the school teachers, principals and counselors, don't they have the responsibility to help this child get therapy?
Shame on you for not condemning anyone and everyone that had anything to do with this child! Hillary has told us it takes a village to raise a child, but you don't call them on the carpet for their misdeeds.
Surely all those people had a factor in this poor innocent child's plans to lash out in such an unacceptable way, right?
Or could it be that in spite of everything that everyone did, the youth made bad decisions and planned to act on those decisions?
Weer'd, You have got to be kidding me. Are you really saying he's "responsible" because he reported the theft? He's irresponsible because he allowed the theft to take place. This is at the heart of the problem, guns going from the good guys to the bad guys. Let me ask you, could such a thing happen in your house? Would Jay allow it in his? I can guarantee you, if I were a gun owner it would never happen in a million years in mine. The kind of security necessary to prevent it is not all that hard to achieve, you've said so yourself.
ReplyDeleteBob, There's no hypocrisy in recognizing that the brunt of the responsibility lies with the father. Of course the school bears some and the kid's friends, MTV does too, but it's the parents, Bob, who carry the weight in this. And yes, I admit I'm less inclined to give the benefit of the doubt and make excuses for gun owners who are irresponsible. I'm also harder on cops who have been given the public trust and hit men who are operating for greed. I am more sympathetic to the abused kid who grows up violent, like young Richard Yanis. About accountability, I say this kid is just slightly better equipped to exercise that right than the 8-year-old in Arizona. These are kids, Bob, for crying out loud, they are damaged kids. You want to put this boy in the penitentiary. I want to put his dad there for the incredible stupidity of allowing his guns to be taken out of the house.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteBob, There's no hypocrisy in recognizing that the brunt of the responsibility lies with the father.
The hypocrisy is in the way you treat criminals...rapists, murderers(as long as they don't use a gun) you ask about their troubled past, this case - silence.
Don't you see the double standard you are using? You didn't write about how this child could have been abused, didn't ask if that should be a mitigating factor, did you?
Nope you jumped on the father for being irresponsible. Did you ask if the father was acting out of his troubled past as I considered?
Did you ask about what precautions the father did take to keep his guns safe or just assumed that he was irresponsible because a child got a hold of firearms? Could it be the kid blowtorched a safe? Used a pry bar to break open locked cabinets? You simply throw the father under the bus with NO EVIDENCE of wrong doing on his part....yet for violent criminals you seek to excuse their actions - Hypocrisy on your part.
Of course the school bears some and the kid's friends, MTV does too, but it's the parents, Bob, who carry the weight in this.
I can't remember how old your kids are, but I can tell you that a parent's influence is less powerful then a teen's friends, and school teachers.
But once again, did you cast blame on them ? Nope, you assigned and continue to assign blame to the parents.
Are you telling me your kids (any kids for that matter) have NEVER done anything you've taught them not to? Are you a bad parent because of that - I say no.
And yes, I admit I'm less inclined to give the benefit of the doubt and make excuses for gun owners who are irresponsible. I'm also harder on cops who have been given the public trust and hit men who are operating for greed.
But for criminals who break into houses for greed, for drug dealers using violence to protect their areas, for rapists who want the sick pleasure of violence....you make excuses, you question their background, you provide justification. Hypocrisy.
I am more sympathetic to the abused kid who grows up violent, like young Richard Yanis.
So a kid who commits violence gets more slack from you than one that plans to commits violence? Hypocrisy...especially since there has been nothing on this kids background.
About accountability, I say this kid is just slightly better equipped to exercise that right than the 8-year-old in Arizona.
But the violent criminals who continually commit crimes don't have the same level accountability from you..grown adults who know right from wrong but commit horrendous crimes you excuse them with having a 'bad childhood'.
That is the hypocrisy I'm pointing out Mike...your continual efforts to demonize gun owners but not criminals who repeatedly show no willingness to answer for their actions. The father in this case did call the cops when he noticed something wrong and you throw him under the bus.
These are kids, Bob, for crying out loud, they are damaged kids. You want to put this boy in the penitentiary. I want to put his dad there for the incredible stupidity of allowing his guns to be taken out of the house.
I never said a word about putting this kid in prison.
You say the dad "allowed" the guns to be taken out of his house--where is your frakkin evidence that he allowed it to happen?
Where is the evidence that he acted stupidly?
You have nothing to go on but that doesn't stop you from claiming misdeeds on the Dad's part. When convicted criminals admit to their crimes or the evidence is so overwhelming there isn't any doubt, you show compassion because of something that "could have" happened to them as kids.
Rank hypocrisy on your part all around Mike.
hypocrisy
ReplyDeletethe condition of a person pretending to be something he is not, especially in the area of morals or religion; a false presentation of belief or feeling. — hypocrite, n. — hypocritic, hypocritical, adj.
Is that me, really?
Yes Mike, you are being hypocritical on this one.
ReplyDeletein common usage, "hypocrite" is typically used to describe anyone who conspicuously displays a double standard, regardless of whether they apply it to themselves or not.
ReplyDeletemike's leniency towards (some) criminals but stringency towards gun owners does indeed seem to have risen to the level of a double standard, and noone can say it isn't conspicuous.
Sorry guys, the hypocrite accusation is as faulty as some of your other claims.
ReplyDeleteYou'd be closer to the mark calling me inconsistent, but even that I would argue.
Remember Jerry Falwell? That was hypocrisy. Preach one thing and do another. I do nothing of the kind in my choosing to be more compassionate to the damaged young man who was abused as a child than to the cop or politician who abused his power.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteDo you "preach" compassion for criminals that are in jail? Seek to excuse or explain their behavior?
Do you, in my opinion, often invent or wonder about abuse in their past?
did you do any of that for this Yannis kid?
You claim one thing for most criminals and not this one..hypocrisy.
Bob, You keep saying I'm not giving young Yanis the benefit of the doubt in this case, but I think you're misreading me again. My whole point is the kid should not be tried as an adult. My other point is it's probably his father's fault for raising such a disturbed boy, even though I realize I'm just guessing. The rest of my original point was about the stupidity of letting your guns get taken. I'm still waiting for Weer'd's answer, but what's yours. Could that happen to you, Bob. Is the job of properly securing your guns such a dubious one? If you say yes you support Mr. Yanis, but you also support my major theme that it's you legitimate gun owners that are feeding the black market. This story shows us one of the ways.
ReplyDeleteBob and Nomen are covering it quite well. And I agree and support their points.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to speculate on the home life in this house, as we have no facts, and I don't like to act on items I know nothing about.
As for Guns in the home, it couldn't happen in my house right now because I have yet to have children. As for Jay's house, His kids are quite lovely and his boy has just graduated to an Air rifle, and is a member of the boy scouts. He'll start shooting when Jay knows he's ready. I haven't specifically talked to Jay about what his kids do know of his formidable arsenal, But I suspect Jay, like most people I know with young kids, subscribe to the eddie eagle safety training
http://www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/
Can this happen? Sure, nothing is "Child Proof", Do you have poisons under your sink? Alcohol in the home? Prescription Drugs?, And Automobile? Knives? Do you exclude your children from the kitchen where the hot stove exists?
You take steps to teach the child how to be safe, and keep unsafe situations from happening, but they can never be completely prevented.
What i DO know about the household, is that without the actions of the father, these guns would not be in rightful hands, and this plan wouldn't be known to the police.
Of course I'll ask, as I've asked in the past because you've mentioned me a second time. What's the difference between my guns, and your kitchen knives, or the chemicals under your sink?
In the past you haven't answered these questions, hence why I didn't bother with your question. But I guess I'm playing now.
Is the job of properly securing your guns such a dubious one?
ReplyDeleteas with everything in security, that depends on what you're securing against. what's the threat picture?
your own adolescent children are pretty much impossible to keep your property away from, as it happens. they have legitimate access to your house --- they live in it; they can be there even when you're away --- they're aware of everything that's in there, pretty much; and they're just about as intelligent and creative as adults, with scarcely less resources to draw on than you have yourself. security problems seldom get any harder than that.
it comes down to gun-proofing your kids, not the other way around, because raising your children right is both easier and more reliable than trying to keep your teenagers away from your property.