Charging Parents Won’t Stop Mass Shootings

By Megan K. Stack

Produced by Vishakha Darbha

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After school shootings in Michigan, southern Virginia, and now Georgia, parents have been charged in connection to their children’s actions. Megan Stack, a Times contributing opinion writer, argues that states should turn their attention to gun storage and access laws instead of criminalizing parents.

(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)

Rifles are displayed at the Magpul booth during the National Rifle Association (NRA) Annual Meeting & Exhibits at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on May 17, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.Credit…Illustration by The New York Times; photograph by Justin Sullivan/Getty

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This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin and Alison Bruzek. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker, and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Kate Sinclair and Mary-Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Adrian J. Rivera and Shannon Busta. The executive producer of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

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