The Homelife of Robert Wayne Gladden Jr.

The Washington Post reports on the young man we talked about the other day.

The teenager accused of shooting an intellectually disabled classmate at a suburban Maryland high school was accustomed to firearms in the home and had endured his parents’ contentious divorce, court documents show.

After 15-year-old Robert Wayne Gladden Jr. was taken into custody Monday, police executed a search warrant at the Kingsville home where he lives with his mother and stepfather. What they found, according to court documents: 11 guns, including shotguns, rifles, a 9mm handgun and two antique pistols.

Gladden’s 41-year-old father, Robert W. Gladden, also has a history of trouble with the law. In 2010, the younger Gladden answered the door when police executed a search warrant at his father’s home, looking for drugs and guns, documents show. Police seized a 12-gauge shotgun during that search along with marijuana, and prosecutors later sought the forfeiture of the shotgun and a .45-caliber handgun.

Meanwhile, Gladden’s stepfather, 43-year-old Andrew Piper, faces new charges of illegal gun possession and drug possession stemming from Monday’s search. Piper was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a previous conviction for grand theft, documents show.

Do you think it matters to a troubled teenager if his step dad is a legal gun owner or a criminal? I don't.  The only thing that matters is that guns are available and the gun-loving mentality is prevalent.

Guns are the answer, aren't they? Isn't this what connects lawful and unlawful gun owners together? They both understand this.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.