MONTGOMERY, Ala. — On Wednesday, Alabama legislators dismissed a proposal aimed at imposing legal consequences on parents whose children carry unsecured firearms to school. This decision stands in contrast to an emerging trend in other areas of the country, where parents of school shooters have faced criminal charges.
State Representative Barbara Drummond, a Democrat from Mobile and the bill’s champion, clarified that the intention behind the legislation was to enhance school safety rather than to serve as a measure of gun control.
The proposed law would have allowed for a parental penalty of up to a year in jail for those who failed to secure firearms using mechanisms such as trigger locks or gun safes prior to their children bringing the weapons to school. However, the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee voted against the measure, adhering to party lines.
Republican members expressed their support for the bill’s overall intent but argued that mandating storage requirements for firearms placed an unfair burden on parents. “My primary objection to this bill is that it penalizes individuals for the actions of others,” stated Rep. Ginny Shaver of Leesburg.
While it is not common for parents to face legal repercussions when their children engage in school shootings, there have been notable recent cases that diverge from this norm. A father was indicted on second-degree murder charges earlier this year following his 14-year-old son’s deadly shooting spree at a high school in north Georgia. Additionally, the parents of the Oxford High School shooter in Michigan were the first in the U.S. to be convicted for their roles in a mass shooting, receiving prison sentences last year due to their failure to properly secure firearms at home and their neglect regarding their son’s worsening mental state prior to the tragedy that resulted in the deaths of four students in 2021.
The discussion surrounding the Alabama bill gained traction after an incident in early February where a second grader in Huntsville accidentally fired a gun that he had brought to school in his backpack, as reported by local news.
In a related move, the committee did authorize legislation aimed at toughening penalties for making threats of school shootings, responding to a rise in such threats last year. Drummond, a gun owner herself, shared that she has always taken steps to keep her firearm secure, particularly when it came to the minor she fostered during his teenage years.
“I hope none of our children die because of this,” Drummond expressed following the bill’s defeat.
