Episode 186
“Nobody does guns like the U.S. does guns.” -Aristotle, probably.
We don’t need a bad meme to know that of all the nations on earth, the United States is the only one with the right to keep and bear arms enshrined in the law of the land with absolutely no restrictions. There are more guns than people in the U.S., and the number of gun owners in any other nation pales in comparison. But the United States is also in significant moral decline, and the absolute tragedy of preventable gun violence is a harrowing reality that demands attention. What that attention should be, however, is hotly contested with no real resolution in sight. Though the problem is complex and multi-faceted, one area seems to be gaining steam, namely, the prosecution of parents for gun violence committed by their children. Whether for a school shooting or a single person attack, parents have been indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced for a crime they did not commit. Is this right? Should parents be responsible for major crimes their children commit? In what ways are parents responsible for the safety of their children and others when it comes to firearms? On this episode of the Removing Barriers, we sit down with gun expert and enthusiast Michael Jordan (of no relation to THEE Michael Jordan) to discuss the these questions, as well as role and impact society has in this matter.
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Transcription
Note: This is an automated transcription. It is not perfect but for most part adequate.
We are morally bankrupt now, and a lot of the younger parents now that you say, you know, do not want to offend little Johnny or Little Susie, and they put them on the same level as they are. You know, they include them and things that they want to. You know, they don’t want to deny their kids anything.
[Jay]
Thank you for tuning into the Removing Barriers podcast. I’m Jay and I’m MCG. And we’re attempting to remove barriers so we can all have a clear view of the cross.
[MCG]
This is episode 186 of the Moving Barriers Podcast, and in this episode we will be discussing firearm safety and parental responsibility.
[Jay]
Hi, this is Jay. MCG and I would like for you to help us remove barriers by going to removingbarriers.net and subscribing to receive all things, removing barriers. If you’d like to take your efforts a bit further and help us keep the mics on. Consider donating at removingbarriers.net/donate, removing barriers, a clear view of the cross.
[MCG]
And now?
[Bull’s Announcer]
And now the starting lineup for your world Champion Chicago Bulls.
At guard, 6/6… Michael Jordan.
[MCG]
And now 6/6 from North Carolina, the best there was, the best there is, and the best there ever will be. Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan, welcome to the Removing Barriers podcast.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, thank you so much for inviting me. Unfortunately, I’m the short, white, poor one, you know and. Can’t jump and not very, very wealthy obviously. So.
[MCG]
And you said, you were Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan was Michael Jordan.
[Michael Jordan]
That is correct. That’s correct. Knew. You know who knew? You know, I guess I should have tagged along with his name later on in life, I guess.
[MCG]
Alright, so that we don’t get sued. You are not from North Carolina. You’re not 6/6, and you’re not the Michael Jeffrey Jordan.
[Michael Jordan]
That would be correct. I’m yes.
[MCG]
What Michael Jordan? Right.
[Michael Jordan]
Yes, that is correct.
[MCG]
Alright, well, let’s jump right into. Let’s start by telling us how long have you been in the firearm industry and around firearms and stuff like that? Start there.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, I’m 74 and I think I probably shot my first form and my grandfather’s place. Probably when I was probably seven years. Old had a chance to shoot shotgun, rifle and pistol and really, really enjoyed it. And Jen, when I was in college, I did a little bit of small game hunting, obviously. And then after I got married, slowly started a farm collection and going out with a whole lot of followers just to do. A lot of planking and so forth. And so from that it kind of elevated over the years. I started to compete in various farm disciplines and rifle, pistol and shotgun and really, really enjoyed it and started. To develop a fairly good collection. That I shared with my family that we have three sons and so all three of the boys learn the basics of farm safety and got a chance to go ahead and experience a whole lot of farms personally. With that being said, the Odyssey was such when we were first married. Like most young married couples like yourself, you don’t have a lot of. Income. And so when I started to get certain weapons, we lived in a townhouse. We didn’t have money for a safe. And so all the weapons were sequestered inside of a closet.
[Jay]
Mm.
[Michael Jordan]
They were up on a shelf. The ammunition wasn’t anywhere close to the weapons themselves, but it was one way to do it. And the kids all knew where the weapons were. And we spent a lot of time with them. This is where they are, and you’re never to tell anyone of your friends that we have weapons in the house. And if we ever see you touching one of those weapons or opening up that closet to see them. There will be great consequences and they would ask. And I said to be determined so, but they all respected those wishes and when we would go out and shoot, you know, I would ask one of them at a time if they would like to go shoot. So you could go ahead and focus. Your instruction on one child versus all three at once. So from that out of the three. The middle son at one point in time in middle school for the science. He wanted to do one on the Ballistics of a particular round, so we went out to the range and we develop some loads and shot at 50 yards, 100 yards and 200 yards. Just to see what the bullet drop was in that those various range distances. And so he did very, very well. And when we were in the science fair, one of the science judges was a military officer. And so when he came up, I was standing next to my son and I was going to go and explain everything to him. And he said, I don’t hear it from you. I want to hear it from your son. And so he did very, very well, which showed that he was listening. And then our youngest son, he was the Virginia State Junior Air pistol champion. And so he got the opportunity to go down to Atlanta in 1996 and shoot in the Junior Olympics Air pistol match, which I believe he obtained 5th place out of 50 shooters. Which was very interesting.
[Jay]
Yeah.
[Michael Jordan]
So given all that right there, the boys, all three, they all have their own firearm. Now, and they all have kids and they have spent a certain amount of time trying to instruct those kids, not only in marksmanship, but more importantly, farm safety.
[MCG]
What’s your favorite weapon that you have right now? If you care to?
[Michael Jordan]
Share well, there are so. It’s kind of like your children, you. Which one do you say is your favorite one right there? You know they each have their own characteristics. That you’re pleased to have, but primarily I am a pistol shooter for the most part and everything else has kind of ancillary to me and so but. Probably my favorite pistols. I enjoy shooting. They 1911 colt. You know, cool. That were, you know, developed by John Browning back in 1910, I believe, and that basic design has withstood the test of time over 100 years and is still an accepted firearm not only in competition but self-defense and other military uses.
[MCG]
You know what they say God made, man, but some will call.
[Michael Jordan]
What’s that?
[Michael Jordan]
Made them equal. That is correct. That is correct.
[MCG]
Alright, so tell me, Mr. Jordan, how much burden or responsibility do you think should be placed on a gun owner? Who carries a gun? Owns a gun. Much responsibility should that person have.
[Michael Jordan]
100%. There is no doubt you know you can have a farm which is a weapon. It’s no different than your vehicle’s parked outside their weapons. You wouldn’t allow your children to go out there and drive. Those vehicle is around the block. One, they achieve the proper age. And receive the instruction and you were satisfied that they had the abilities to safely operate, that it’s the same with, you know, firearms, you know that I believe with my complete body and soul that every child should be afforded a chance to learn. Good gun safety before they even grasp a weapon, you know? That they have to go ahead and see what a weapon can do. Now you both know bein shooters that you can take a loaded weapon. You can lay it right here on this table. And it can stay here for 1000 years. It’s not going to hurt anybody. It’s not going to go off, it’s going to remain very safe there. But with kids, you know, kids are inquisitive, you know. And back when I was a kid, which is probably different than you. We played Cowboys and Indians and military guys, you know, and we all played with guns, plastic guns, play guns. And then you would generally. To appellate rifle or ABB Gun, a Daisy Red Ryder, which is a gun, you know, in just a little Segway from that we provided BB guns for all of our grandsons, not for the granddaughters. We figured if they wanted to learn, they could certainly use it but wanted. Go ahead and do that. And we gave one of them a bullet trap so that they can learn basic.
[Jay]
Hmm.
[Michael Jordan]
Under the tutelage of their father, you know.
[MCG]
He misogynistic, not giving their granddaughters.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, have they shown any interest? OK, now also, while we’re on that line. One of the girls that my son shot against in Atlanta. Very, very nice young lady. And I was talking to one of the medical doctors that was there to help to score the targets. And he made a good point that I never thought about, you know, women have the ability to work out of both sides of their brain. You know. And so when young men are out there shooting, they’re holding up the pistol and they’re thinking about their favorite sport team. Thinking about one of their good buddies about some girl that they like and but the girls can go ahead and. Egment. That out where they can just focus on their shooting and historically, you know, they shoot much, much better and we see a lot of the world class shooters, one that we previously mentioned at Church who was a world class shooter and she can shoot rifle better than I.
[MCG]
Is that why my wife can shoot better than me?
[Michael Jordan]
No, I just think that she’s better there. So but anyway, that is the basic background. It’s truly incumbent upon all parents. You know one if they want to teach their kids, they have to teach them safety. And if they have no interest in teaching the child, if they own one, First off, they should be responsible gun owners. And responsible gun owners is not throwing it in your night. Loaded are putting it underneath your pillow at night time or you know when the glove box your car. You know, having a farm. Require some responsibility. And if you’re not prepared to take on those responsibilities, then you shouldn’t have one. And that’s why certain states they do a very, very good background check to check on people to see if one if they’re not only legally, but if there’s anything hidden in their past that would preclude them from having a farm.
[Jay]
Now I want to make clear we’re not talking about gun control in the sense of the government imposing more regulations in order to make it more difficult for people to get firearms we’re talking about. Individual gun owners taking full responsibility for their firearms and for each round that firearm can fire. Making sure that it doesn’t get in the wrong hands, making sure that in whatever way they can to prevent that firearm being used for destructive or sinful or destructive reasons. You think that firearm safety laws? Should be multiplied and strengthened. Or do you think that we have enough in the country as it is?
[Michael Jordan]
Well, my personal feelings is that we’ve got enough gun laws out. Here, if they would just enforce those gun laws, you know, we can’t go ahead and say, well, this gun law didn’t work.
[jay]
Hmm.
[Michael Jordan]
So let’s go ahead and impose another gun law because you know, really, if all the gun laws we have, if you did a good inventory of all the gun laws throughout the USI mean it’s hundreds if not thousands of gun laws. And most of them, it’s tough to enforce those laws because most law enforcement officers really have no idea because they’re not exposed to those things. It is only after there are some devastating accident. Or something that results in them starting to dig through the annals of all the laws we have to see what these people can be charged with, you know, which is very, very sad. Kind of like closing the door after the dog gets out, you know, and you can’t do that.
[Jay]
Right, right.
[Michael Jordan]
I really, really don’t think that would correct the problem. It would just create another layer of bureaucracy that would never be enforced, would never be used. You know, I mean that is my own opinion.
[Jay]
OK.
[Michael Jordan]
And but I really do think the basic marksmanship should be offered to. Anyone that gets a farm you know, and I’ve seen that a lot of the indoor ranges back when I didn’t belong to a gun club where you would go in there and you could just. Take a look at the ceilings being shot up. A lot of rounds bouncing off the floor and shooting at a target.
[Jay]
Right.
[Michael Jordan]
10 feet away. That looks like it was a shotgun because. Were just, you know, spraying and praying, you know?
[Jay]
Oh, goodness, just yesterday we saw a video on YouTube of someone who was shooting a steel target, and he was probably 10 feet away and the ricochet actually ended up hitting him and killing him, unfortunately.
[Michael Jordan]
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
[Jay]
Yeah, it’s definitely a safety.
[Michael Jordan]
And you know, to legislate something like that. I don’t think you can do that because there’s too many gun owners. Think that they figure that roughly. 370 to 400 million weapons in the United States right now.
[Jay]
It’s more than we have people.
[Michael Jordan]
Truly. Truly. Well, that’s throughout the years from the first time that a weapon was made. And so we’d be interesting to see how all those stats match up with the accidental shootings, with accidental stabbings, accidental car wrecks. You know, there’s so many things.
[MCG]
Mm.
[Michael Jordan]
Where does the focus? Belong that you can prevent. Some of these things I don’t know if I knew I would be writing a book about it.
[jay]
Mm.
[Jay]
So we have enough. We just need to be enforcing them and maybe even repeal some of them, because it’s just too much legislation.
[Michael Jordan]
Exactly right. Very, very onerous, very, very onerous.
[MCG]
Yeah, but it seems to me that the laws, even if they enact them, who’s going to obey those laws, will all abide in people. That’s correct, but it’s not going to affect the people that are already breaking the laws.
[Michael Jordan]
That is correct.
[MCG]
Is I have a clip here from our current Vice President, Kamala Harris. And when she was the deer in. So I’m going to let you listen to it and give me your opinion.
[Kamala Harris]
Responsible behaviors among everybody in the community. And just because you legally possess a gun in the sanctity of your locked home doesn’t mean that we’re not going to walk into that home and check to see if you’re being responsible and safe. The way you conduct your aff. Have you heard from?
[MCG]
So what do you think about? She said that not because you have a gun in your lock. That doesn’t mean that you’re not going to go in and walk into your home and check and make sure you’re being safe.
[Michael Jordan]
Overreach much, much because there are certain segments of the party is there that want to take care of us from cradle to grave. And that includes going into our rooms or houses? Whether it be into our bedrooms or to our living rooms or our dens or whatever. And that does not denote freedom to me. That is not freedom. You know, we should be able to enjoy certain rights and if we don’t have certain rights and we’re going to have these onerous laws imposed upon us, then our democracy is dead at that point.
[Jay]
So we’ve heard of kids like you alluded to before. You’re not being a good and safe gun owner. If all you do with your weapon is, you know, throw it under a pillow or put it in your knife. We’ve all heard of kids getting a hold of weapons and accidentally shooting themselves or shooting a friend, or shooting a sibling. Now can this be prevented with government intervention or should it be prevented without government? We hear Kamala Harris wants to come into our homes and make sure we’re doing the right thing. That sort of thing be prevented if she were to actually implement something like that.
[Michael Jordan]
I don’t think so because most of the people that want to impose these restrictions, they’re not really gun owners, they’re just overreaching, and that’s not going to solve the problem. You know it’s going to require a whole lot of other elements to fall into place. You know specifically when somebody buys a weapon, you know, Segway off this for just a second. I was in construction for many, many years and one of the meetings that we had, we had a Union welder that gave a speech and it was very, very good. And he. In there and he said. These are a set of cutting torches here, he said. This is one of the most dangerous weapons you can ever get. Anyone can go into any welding supply store and buy a set of gauges and the cutting tools. And then rent tank of Acetylene and a tank of oxygen and they can go to town cutting still you. And he said there’s so many inherent problems with that if you don’t know what you’re doing, you know, it’s one of the worst weapons that there can ever be. And he talked about he was working at the shipbuilding yard and he was told to cut a access hole into a large tank. And he said, I’m not going to cut into that tank until I see what’s on the other side. And so they said. So they opened up hatch and went down there. And there was about 3 gallons of JP3 jet fuel down there. Oh, wow. And so if he had cut into that, no, he probably would have been killed and probably anyone around there would have been killed as well too. So there’s responsibilities on everything and there’s not too much we have out there. It’s the same thing as. Knives. If you have a sharp cutting knife in your cutting board and one of your kids is playing around and actually falls on. Then he could be greatly. Or, you know, perhaps killed. And it’s the same thing. Goes with all things right. There are so many things that can end up being weapons and to try to instill proper safety in those requires. I personally think a lot of personal responsibility, you know, and. Where do you leave that? I think that you probably learn that from your upbringing, from your rearing. If you’re coming from a good family structure where they’re going to go ahead and teach good value. For anything that you do and not be afraid to discipline, you know I’m not talking about physical discipline, you know, necessarily, but have. You know, if you’re not going to follow the rules, you’re not going to drive the car, you’re not going to pick up this weapon at the range. You know you’re not going to pick a knife out of the cutting board, so it takes to instilling or inculcating a lot of personal responsibility to your children.
[MCG]
Yeah, I think that’s one other thing that will come out was saying overlook is the person responsibility that everyone have. Regardless, you know of what it won’t firearm or not because as you say if you don’t want to fire, I mean you own other weapons that can be. Weapons of opportunity that can be used as stuff and they don’t regulate. Clorox Bleach and Clorox can be pretty. Depends on how. If a kid get ahold of it.
[Michael Jordan]
Oh oh. You know, you know, I’ve seen that a lot. Know there’s a lot of. Self-defense classes that they give to women, you know, in the walk into their vehicles that if they’ve got to defend. And I was watching a guy that I knew and he was showing how a woman, when she’s walking to her car, could interlace her keys through her hands. And make a fist so that if someone tried to grab her she could punch at the eyes, you know, and things like that. And but you know, getting away from our discussion here, it still requires personal responsibility that you’re going to properly teach. Now whether or not. You’re telling people when you sell them a firearm, you know, if there is a affidavit saying that and this would also help the gun seller too as well. By sending this document, you will validate fact right there that you’re the sole owner. And should you allow anyone else to use this weapon that you will probably instruct them and do everything within your power to make sure that the weapon is used properly and that you will make every opportunity to make any of the weapons you have secured. Readily accessible and whether or not they would wish to assign that and. That if I ever get called in court because I sold you this weapon, I can say, listen, you know, we specifically talked about this. Would any dealer want to do that? Most likely not. Most likely not. But there is always possibility of being sued for anything you have. You know, there was a few years ago there was a young man who got his father’s weapon.
[Michael Jordan]
Fact we’ve seen more and more of these cases. Where he shot and killed a couple, Fairfax County police officers up in Westfield. Know if you were around here. Or not.
[Jay]
Probably. Doesn’t sound familiar?
[Michael Jordan]
But the father had purchased the weapon. In fact, what we’re seeing too, the same thing on the attempt on President Trump too, you know.
[Michael Jordan]
The young man was using his father’s weapon and his father would routinely let his son take that to a fine range because he had no idea. That the kid had other ideas in mind, you know? And you really. Really.
[Jay]
Right.
[Michael Jordan]
And if the kid is of that age, you know, we have adult kids and and if my kids said, hey, listen, you know, we want to go out hunting in Montana. Do you have a couple rifles that we can use or are? RDF in 22 so we can squirrel hunt or, you know, I would gladly go ahead and do it because I know in my heart of hearts that they’re going to respect the firearms and not use them improperly. And I hope to go to my grave and say. My weapons have never been used where I had to take another human being’s life.
[MCG]
Yeah, definitely. I think other bigger picture as well. What Kamala was saying as well why is so egregious not only the fact that she’s taking the responsibility from you, but she’s actually violating two of our rights in terms of not only Second Amendment but your 4th amendment right?
[Jay]
You search.
[MCG]
Yeah, well, to be free from certain seizure and it’s scary that you will go to that length to ensure that someone is securing their firearms, but you would not go to the same length to say, OK, what about?
[Jay]
You know. Yes, yes, such a.
[MCG]
The chemicals under the kitchen counter. Are you going to make sure that those are secure properly? About the medicine in the. The cabinet. Are you going to make sure that those are out of reach of kids? Is just guns. You know.
[Michael Jordan]
It truly would open up Pandora’s box.
[MCG]
Oh yeah, definitely.
[Michael Jordan]
Because once they get their foot in the door, they’re not going. Remove that foot.
[Jay]
And the government’s not known for their restraint or for their no restraining themselves from abusing or using whatever power is given to them. Certainly it would open Pandora’s box for sure.
[MCG]
All. Well, you listen to the Removing barriers podcast. We’re sitting down with Michael Jordan. Not the Michael Jordan, but Michael Jordan under. And we’re talking about firearm saftety and parental responsibility will be right back.
[Jay]
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[MCG]
All right. So let’s pick it. Let’s dive a little bit into some recent cases. Recent happenings that we see that parents have been charged somewhat for the actions of their kids, whether it’s teenage or younger. First one, I want to talk about is. James and Jennifer Cromley, the other parents of Ethan Cromley who was charged and convicted of. Well, the parents were charged and convicted of manslaughter and are now serving 15 years in prison for the actions of this son, Ethan. So that’s a little bit of a back story on November 30th, 2021, fifteen year old Ethan Crumley brought a handgun to school. Kill 4 Oxford High School students and injuring 7. Apparently, the 9 mil sig. Using the shooting was bought by Ethan Father James Cromley on black. Friday, as an early Christmas present. And here is the news clip of the haunting.
[ABC New Clip]
The deadly school shooting in Michigan at Oxford High School that’s about an hour north of Detroit. Three students killed at least eight others injured, including a teacher and alleged lone gunman, a 15 year old student is in custody at this hour. Say he was armed with a semi automatic handgun. Multiple agencies responding to the call of an active shooter. In the. The school principal getting on the PA with the code word for lockdown. The stories coming in at this hour of students barricading themselves inside, teachers putting paper up to cover the windows of classroom doors, then barricading the doors with tables. Some students climbing through a window running for their lives across the snow. Others carried out on stretchers to the ambulances waiting outside. And of course, that sadly familiar storyline, students taken to a nearby location. This time a supermarket to wait for their parents. We saw some of those reunions today. Cs Chief Justice correspondent Pierre Thomas leading us leading us off tonight.
[MCG]
Alright, so they have ABC News. I’m going to play the rest of it, but basically set the stage, eating crumbly, bought a gun. But here’s the rest of it.
[ABC New Clip]
Today at yet another school, students, teachers and parents, terrified and scrambling after shots fired on campus Veraplex your medical Assistance. All the offers are possible. This time at Oxford High School, some 40 miles north of Detroit, this video showing students in the classroom running for their lives. TV stations breaking into programming.
We’re now looking at oh, at least 8. Eight law enforcement officers with long guns who are entering the school. Three students killed, eight others shot, including a teacher, student John Edwards, describing the chaos to our affiliate, WXYZ.
So with the PA, we hear our principal, Mr. Wolf shouting. Alice, lockdown. Alice lockdown. And then we hear the gunshots in the class, and so we lock down, turn the lights off. Teacher got paper. Taped over the window on the door and got his two big tables and barricaded. Door was just. I was praying for, you know, my safety, my friend safety, you know, everyone’s safety. Edwards, able to call his mother. I can hear the fear in his voice and I told him I said baby, I’m on my way. I’ve never been so scared of my life. School officials left reeling. Of course I’m shocked. It’s devastating. The suspected shooter. A 15 year old sophomore at the school, allegedly armed with a semi automatic handgun. He fired multiple shots, you know, 15 to 20 shots that were fired. We’re thinking. Tray, Shawn, Brian telling a reporter he was worried something would happen at school today, so he says he stayed home.
Music.
[MCG]
So apparently it seems like I don’t know how this guy knew, but it seems like. Maybe social media or something, but anyways, I’ll continue.
[Jay]
Hearing that there was going to be a possible shooting at the high school.
[ABC New Clip]
OK.
Yes, I did. I ordered multile times. An emotional governor Whitmer, on the scene late today. I think this is every parent’s worst nightmare. There been no word yet on motive and there was no struggle during the arrest, but we’re told the suspect quickly asked for an attorney. Tonight, police are conducting a search at the young man’s home. But at this point they do not believe that anyone acted with him. Acted alone. David, all right, Pierre Thomas, leading us off tonight. Pierre, thank you.
[MCG]
All right. So Michael Jordan there you have it, Ethan. Gutter. 9 mil. For Thanksgiving, basically early Christmas present somehow got ahold of the gun, took it to. The parents were charged with manslaughter, convicted for 10 to 15 year sentence for 10 to 15 years in jail. Firstly tell me overall feeling of the story and then do you think that the parents were responsible here diving to that?
[Michael Jordan]
Well, without knowing the full transcript of the trial, obviously. But I think that there was a preponderance of evidence to convict them of that manslaughter now. Was a weapon. Clearly, how the weapon functioned, how to go ahead and load magazines, how to rack the slide back. Go ahead and load one in the chamber. Young man. At some point in time he got some instruction. And with the weapon, obviously the weapon was not secured. Or maybe they were the one of the false impression that their son would not want to use that weapon for any kind of nefarious things. Like we see in most cases there you know if we were riding with someone. That robbed a. You know, we would be. The conspiracy for that too as well. So by mere fact, you know, I’m not quite sure why they. Sent both parents, but it sounds like to me there was preponderance of evidence that both parents were complicit in letting this child use that weapon. And you just mentioned the young man who decided to stay home. You know, he must have seen something in this guy’s background. Was similar to like the Columbine shoot. Where these kids were at home with long black trench coats on and odd looking things there. I’m certainly if you saw your kids in your house going into their bedroom. And dressed a little bit oddly, you would probably go in their bedrooms just to see what they were doing because you’re responsible parents.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, obviously I don’t think that these people were responsible and whether or not they offered these people a plea deal or not. But I do really think that they are complicit to that and whether or not they’ll serve five years and get out, I have no idea, but. Responsibility. We all have respons. You know, I am sure that you know, most people that I know that have weapons have them secured somewhere, somewhere where the children do not have access to it and you, you know, as we you know alluded to earlier, you just have to impose some safeguards and teach. Good farm safety. And teach them right there that they’re not going to use these things until they’re old enough to purchase the weapon by themselves.
[MCG]
Nothing, just it. So just a little bit more background, because I think from what I remember that on the day of the shooting, I think he was taken to the counselor or the nurse or whatever they have under school because he was making some joins of. A gun with a round coming out. And he was, you know, putting, you know, join of killing people. And I think the parents. And he denied he had any intention of ever. Case maybe. And then shortly after they left, he went to the bathroom, got his gun out of his handbag. And that’s when he went and did that stuff. Another background here is that he seems to have exhibit some mental issues. And his dad still got him a gun. And not only that you talking about, of course, the parent did take him to the range, which none of that is illegal. Your son to your teenage son, to the range and teaching him how to shoot a gun. None of that is illegal, I think. Again, when I look into the child, it seems like what? The prosecution was saying. Or the deal was saying is that they weren’t charged because they were his parents. They were charged because they feel like they were complicit in his actions. I guess maybe for the but for rule, but I’m conflicted on this because I don’t know. I guess I should look this up, but I don’t think from what I researched that. They had him like storing the gun in his bedroom. I think the gun was probably stored with them or in their night stand or whatever. And he took it without permission. That’s impression I’m getting from what I’m hearing the parents saying I’m confused with it because you hear you have her 15 year old young man. Making a moral, conscious decision. Fion to go and hurt somebody. And because you’re the parent and another persecution is not because the parent but it come across that way because you’re the parent. You’re being charged for that action of someone who. I already know right from wrong you.
[Michael Jordan]
Know you’re. Well, you know, we all know you’re responsible for your children. You’re responsible for your children’s actions. If one of your children go out and throw a rock through a window, you’re responsible for that because they’re minors and we see more and more of these minors that you. Charged with something and they get put in a juvenile jail, and when they turn 18, it’s all expunged. And they’re back on the street again, which is I think, very, very bad, because the mental conditions that they had that caused them to do these things, they’re still going to be around after they get out of their three or four years of confinement. But parents have got to really know that there’s consequences to their kids actions. And we all do, whether or not one of your kids is driving your car and is involved in a hit and run, you know, you’re probably going to be in charge in some way or another. Know why did you give that child the keys to your car? Because clearly it’s a weapon, you know, didn’t you? And there’s probably a rural fine line between where you would charge an where you wouldn’t, and I’m sure that that’s probably would be defined by the type of Council that you could afford when you go to court. The bottom line is I still think that the responsibility falls upon you as a parent. You know, it’s imperative that you teach. Properly to avoid face like this you know we take a look at the ugaldi shooting too as well down. Texas very, very tragic. But apparently this kid, they showed the telltale signs of a young man who was troubled, you know?
[MCG]
Yeah, but even in that case, their mom at this point, she wasn’t charged. I guess the argument was that I think he was actually 18.
[Michael Jordan]
No, she wasn’t.
[Jay]
Yeah, I was going to bring that. Sue Klebold, which is the mother of one of the Columb. Had a Ted talk where she said that she had no idea. How her son had changed as a result of hanging out with the other boy. Forget his. His name is slipping me now. So she made the claim that she had no idea how much her son had changed. A lot of parents, in retrospect, let me back it up a little bit. Let’s take kids who commit suicide. A lot of parents will go back and say, you know I. Never realized I miss all of these telltale signs in retrospect. Is 2020 of. Now I see there was a problem. You know, if the parents are in the dark about the mental condition of their child, should they still be held responsible because it says here that this boy’s mother Ethan’s mother? Received texts from him in March that would indicate that he had a shift in his thinking. Those are the accusations brought against her. Didn’t say. She realized those changes, but there are people that are looking at the texts that she received and said, oh, you should have realized at that point that there’s a shift in his thinking and that he might be. More liable or more likely to commit such an act. How much can you hold? For the mental state of their children, especially if they don’t even. What to?
[MCG]
Look for. Well, that’s a good. I’m going to let Michael jump in on that, but I’ll say this though. I’m actually interested in your opinion on this because you already raised your kids. But I think a lot of times as parents that we did. The signs we see in our kids, so we will have the idea of, well, Mikey wouldn’t do that. I waited better than that and. And I guess it comes down to the fact that we deny the flesh that is within them and that they won’t subjugate to the carnality of the flesh. And we know as Christians that, hey, you know, we all sinners and we are all bent, is to go into that direction. And, you know, our pastor would always say his parents would tell him I don’t trust you. You know today that might be sound like child abuse telling you. Casey, don’t trust them. But I think if another parents go in with the mindset that I’m not going to trust you because you have a flesh and not going to trust the FL. Maybe she does look at that and say, well, it’s my son. I raise him better than that. He knows better than that. I’m going to deny the fact, at least internally, deny the fact that there are signs that he might do harm.
[Michael Jordan]
But looking at this, you know I was raised as a child of the 50s and the 60s obviously and. I think that parental controls were a little bit greater than they are now.
[Michael Jordan]
I mean, my parents did not put up with anything. And yes, Sir. No, Sir. No, ma’am. We respected our neighbors. You know, we were taught you don’t steal, you don’t do. So I think that the moral fabric that we have has been impaired or if not destroyed, you know, we are morally bankrupt now. And a lot of the younger parents now that you say, you know, do not want to offend little Johnny or little Susie and they.
[MCG]
Uh.
[Michael Jordan]
Same level as they are, you know, they include them and things that they want to do. You know, they don’t want to deny their kids anything.
[MCG]
And.
[Michael Jordan]
And in fact, I can still remember saying, well, Johnny’s parents let him do that. We’re not Johnny’s parents.
[Jay]
Yeah, yeah.
[Michael Jordan]
You know, and we’re not going to put up with that. And you know, as a kid, there was always that veiled threat that if I do something wrong, you know the wrath of Khan is going to come down on me hard, you know. And I think a lot. The younger kids now. Unless they are raised and I believe truly in a good Christian home where they start to learn some real solid values and morals, you know you’re going to see more of these things because it’s clearly, in my opinion, it’s satanic work. Know when. I’m sure that each one of these. That we see. I’m sure that Satan’s got a big smile on his face.
[Jay]
Yeah, for. And I’d like to piggyback on that. I think people that were raised and I don’t want to be, I don’t want to do the oh, well, back in my day type thing. But there is something to be said for kids being raised today compared to kids that were. In the 50s. 60s. Maybe Seventies, 80s. We begin to see a shift. Back in the day, it seemed like. Who would have that shift in their mental? They would be just, you know, they’re going through. Parents would see that and there would be that constant interaction between kids and their parents. Today, we’re so distracted with our technology, but there are many adults that are behaving like children and they’re out Gallivan singing about and leaving kids to race themselves.
[Michael Jordan]
I agree.
[Jay]
So maybe if there were any signs they just didn’t see them because they were out, you know, partying or doing whatever themselves.
[MCG]
Or they don’t want to see them.
[Jay]
Or they don’t want to see it. That’s another thing as well. There’s a difference.
[Michael Jordan]
I think it’s more what you. You know, I think that they have a blind eye to that.
[MCG]
Mm.
[Michael Jordan]
You know, my little Johnny wouldn’t do this. Little Susie wouldn’t do this, you know. Know better. And you know your moral fabric. Takes years to. In fact, it’s very, very interesting, you know, and I’ve heard a whole lot of pastors say this, that kids are raised in the church and every may we see them congratulate all the high school graduates and. College graduates and post graduate degrees and most of pastors I’ve ever seen have said. Just look around, probably 50% of you will probably fall away from the church and probably will never come back.
[MCG]
The service is actually higher I think can handle study was what almost 90%.
[Jay]
Oh, is it 90? Wow.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, isn’t almost OK good. 50, good, good. OK. Well, OK.
[Jay]
Yeah. Wow.
[MCG]
Anyway, let’s continue the discussion and talk about Colin. Colin Gray is in jail charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, 2 counts of second degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.
[jay]
Mm.
[MCG]
What? You may. Well, on September 4, 2024, Colin Gray’s son Colt, 14 years old, brought an AR15 style rifle to school and opened fire, killing two children and two teachers. It is notable before that the Jackson County sheriff. Officers, this was in May of 2023, visited Colin and caught Gray because it was reported that Colt, then 13, had make remarks on social media platform discord. Is the name of that platform. About wanted to carry out a school shooting. At that time, when the officers interviewed him at his front door, Cole denied it was him in the presence of calling his father on the officers. I have not to say about that, but here is a news clip of that encounter as well.
[Fox 5 News Clip]
New information came during a hearing for. Gray’s father, Colin, in front of a Barrow County judge this morning. Let’s Fox 5’s Tyler Finger, who joins us live from outside the courthouse with the night’s new details. Tyler.
Hey. Good evening to. We learned shocking details about Colt Gray and his mental state when police say he shot and killed people inside Apalachee High School last month. Investigators say he meticulously planned his heinous act.
He entered that classroom and proceeded to fire the rifle into that classroom.
Armed with an AR15 style rifle, investigators revealed Wednesday alleged mass school shooter Colt Gray had a plan when he started his rampage inside Appalachia High School last month. Gbi agents say Colt wrote it out in several notebooks and even drew some sketches.
Also found another notebook in that same. It was a drawing of a rifle with what appears to be ammunition coming out of it and. The word kids.
Investigators said Colt didn’t just plan how he was going to take lives, but how many families he would shatter.
Under the classroom column is written 15 to 17 killed. Injured question Mark 2:00 to 3:00. Further down the pages, written classroom 2-3 to five killed injured 2 to 3 and in parenthesis off to the side. It says surprised if I make it this far.
Agency family members knew about Colts deteriorating mental state, but he didn’t adequately get the help he. Prosecutors ultimately charged Colin with a number of counts, including involuntary manslaughter. Agents testified. Colin knew what was going on. Still bought Colt, a gun, ammunition and other assessories.
In that body camera, when he was talking. You. He appeared to express any remorse about what?
No, he did not.
Investigators say Colt had what they describe as a shrine dedicated to past school. A GBI agent said Colt’s mom and dad knew he obsessed over them, but felt he was just joking. Colts mom Marcy Gray told the Gbi her son asked his dad to buy a quote shooter mask.
When she asked him why he needed that, he stated in a joking manner what I’ve got to finish up my school shooter outfit. Just kidding.
And after hearing all of this, the judge determined that there was probable cause for Collin to. Trial. Meantime, a grand jury is set to meet here tomorrow to determine if the father and son should be indicted on more charges. Tom and Courtney.
Have some alarming testimony, Tyler. In court today, besides those drawings and writings, do we know of any other evidence the prosecutors have?
Yeah, Tom, that’s a really great question. I think prosecutors definitely have a lot of evidence to work. In this case, one of the other things they mentioned that they have is surveillance. So think about it on a school campus, there are cameras and not only were there camp cameras in the hallway, but there were also cameras actually inside the classroom, which was. Shocking to me. So they actually have video of the actual shooting happen happening inside at least one of these classrooms. And again, those pieces of writing and also those sketches are something that they’re going to be able to. To use and be able to present to a jury when this does eventually go to trial, and one of the things we weren’t able to mention in that story was a piece of evidence that they gathered at the home of Colt Gray, which was a crumbled up piece. Notebook. I’m reading it off my notes here, which they said. Said quote. This life of mine, obviously prosecutors are going to be using that to show his state of mind when all of this unfolded on that campus of Apalachic High school last month. Guys back to you. Read it. The details are just so chilling. Tyler, thanks.
[MCG]
All right. So of course you heard. So to me personally, when I compare Colin Gray with the crumbles, you can argue that Colin Gray, you know, you had your local Sherry come and talk to you. About because of that, then the Sunday night, I guess you can call it Tim Walters moment, aka Knucklehead Moment where he say he went out still and got A-15 style rifle for his son after. You have officers coming to your door to question your son, and in his defense, he said. He got him a. So he can toughen up a little bit because if you look at the video, it seems like Colt, the Son, is either transitioning or he’s at least. On that spectrum, somehow the L GB T QIA stuff. So he identified either gay or transgendered, and I’m sure if this have anything to it. But let me hear what you have to say on this thing, Michael.
[Michael Jordan]
I think that all the signs were there clearly and how many times. Parents have to be informed that we’ve got some problems. You know, if you start seeing that your kids have a shrive. And their housed to school shooters and you start seeing certain drawings and you’re hearing it from the police. You’re hearing it from the schools. You know how many red flags do you need to say we need to stop? Need to back up? This child needs some serious. Ecological health and now, if he was transitioning, was that that spark that someone made some kind of despairing remark about his sexuality and you know where he said? Well, I’ll show them. You know, you just don’t know what the breaking point was for him to go ahead and take that action. But nevertheless, you know. From what I can see here and what I’ve read about that case, you know, there were so many warning signs and there was so much evidence that this kid would probably do something very, very bad, you know, if not taking someone else’s life may very well take. Own life.
[MCG]
So you think the parent here was justified being arrested and charged?
[Michael Jordan]
Yes, yes, I do. Yeah, I do. Do.
[MCG]
Do you see any contrast indifference between this one and the crumbling the first one?
[Michael Jordan]
You know. They’re the same, but different. Yeah, you know, you know basically they’re the same, but different to what level? Let’s say that the crumbly is, you know, their actions were at a three and the Gray’s actions were at A10 plus.
[MCG]
Hmm.
[Michael Jordan]
You know, but still their actions. Have they taken proper actions or responsibility? Maybe that wouldn’t have happened, but perhaps it. Because obviously anyone can get a weapon right there. You know, we’ve seen that more and more, you know, the inner city, you know, kids that are in that thug kind of life, they can get access to any kind of.
[MCG]
Weapon that they want with Glock switches and every.
[Michael Jordan]
Yes, yes, true, true. And I’ve known a lot of law enforcement officers in big cities and a lot of these kids, you know, if you want to car Jack will rent you a gun. You know, we’ll rent a gun just for each job. Know we’ll rent A2 for 50 bucks. And you can use it and then bring it back and then you can take the stolen car somewhere and sell it to a chop shop or something. So there’s various things there. You know, criminals. You know, it’s tough to get all the bad guys in jail as fast as we let them out of jail, you know. But to get back to your main point, yes, I think the Greys. Are certainly more complicit in the actions that occurred that resulted in death. And, you know, I think that they should have to pay for their actions. Not only in jail senses, but monetary. Problems that they had right there, you know, I think they should lose everything. You know, their house, their incomes and everything. You know, they should be sued, sued for the damages, you know, and we see that a whole lot. You know, if you have someone that is drunk driving or whatever and wrecks into your car and kills a spouse or a child, you know, you go after them. Nail one to see that they’re charged accordingly, and two, that there’s some financial responsibility that they have to take in this. But that’s just me.
[Jay]
There seems to be something similar between the Greys and the Crumbles in that both of the young men seem to have spent a lot of time alone in the case with Ethan Crumbley, he was left alone so often that. She actually called Child Protective Services out of concern for him and in this case as well, he was left alone for long periods of time. There’s this element of alienation. And on devices, yeah, on the devices as. And that’s enough to warp anybody’s mind, even grown adults.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, well. True right there, you know. And it’s very, very interesting. You know that we’re seeing.
[Jay]
To warp anybody’s mind.
[Michael Jordan]
Right there. That the preponderance of these actions are happening to young men, you know, young men that are going through puberty and things like that. They’re being harassed. And I mean, I can remember being in school and seeing some kid being bullied or whatever. Have you? And you would step in and say, well, if you want to bully somebody, go ahead and bully me, you know, and generally it stops. But there’s no one that can really help a lot of these kids. You know, because sometimes they’ll talk to their parents and they’re told, well, you just need to toughen up. But then again, in this electronic age, you know, got all these kids playing all these video games, Grand Theft Auto and things like that, and where suddenly life doesn’t have any value, you know, and. Some of these war games and thuggish type of. So I think that the kids that get locked on a computer on iPad are their phone or an Xbox or whatever have you. You know it, certainly. Go ahead and slant their views on life.
[jay]
Sure.
[Michael Jordan]
20 and justice to kind of segue off that for a second. We all remember when that young man at our church right there, you know. Military veteran, you know, and had some emotional issues and everyone I think around knew they had some emotional issues and were doing everything they could to try to help him, you know? And he did have firearms. And when we had a fellowship at the range one time he. Down there, you know, and I mean, I specifically talked to him. And by all appearances right there, you know. He seemed to be fine, but I understand in retrospect they thought that he had a whole lot of demons that you know, in his personal life, you know, as we heard where he was in one branch of the military and then transferred to, you know, another and it. Very, very sad. Sad his ending in his life that in fact I can still remember when he. Spoke of that fellowship dinner. I think it was week before he killed himself. Days. Actually. Days. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[MCG]
Too, but.
[Michael Jordan]
Very sad. Very, very. And so it’s tough to get into the psyche of anyone, I think. And I think that we’ve all been through. Dark times in our life. You know, and unless you have Christ as a crutch, you know you’re going to fall deeper into the. I think you know a lot of the times, unless you’re getting the encouragement and coming from a Christian family, you know and honestly believe that being raised in a Christian family. Has got more impact on most kids you know, and clearly you’re going to have exceptions to that rule. But you know, if you have a structured family life where you limit the time on, you know, electronic devices, which I’m sure that you deal with yours probably. And and or TV and some of the things that they. Watching, you know, unless you start taking a proactive approach to that, I think it’s going to result in a lot more of these things, you know, and a lot of these cases that we see right, there are just the ones that are highlighted, you know, at the end. The. Meeting here. Right there. You know, I’ve got some stats right there that in your time I’d like for you to go ahead and read the stats. And the stats were a little bit alarming, you know? So we’re only seeing the top shelf stuff right now.
[MCG]
Oh boy. So that’s my personal opinion and you know, for me, if I had to choose between which one of these, I think that most outrageous for me, of course I would say definitely. Seems to be more in a situation because the way I try to answer questions is that I put myself in an issue. If I had police officers coming to my door and saying that they suspect that my son is making threat. S and planning to do a school shooting. I think I know myself well enough to say that I don’t think I would give him a gun that same year as a Christmas present.
[Michael Jordan]
Agreed.
[MCG]
Go back to what I said earlier, so it could either be that this was. Was strong denial that he didn’t believe in. Of course, hindsight is 2020, so I guess all that all hinge on whether he believe his son or not, because his son denied that he did it. But it seems to me that there were a lot more red flags here, including shines. To school shooters? Who does that? That’s just extremely dark and evil that you do that an accident for the parents to buy him a mask to create his school shooter outfit. That to me, I find that appealing to say, you know what, maybe he’s not really mature enough for him to have access to this gun. That I bought so to me. Yeah, I was calling. Should have been charged and I’m most likely going to be convicted, but I’m going to be honest. I’m torn because. I see it as a suicloe when we start charging people that have yes agency as a law will probably put it be in charge and other people have been charged for their actions. I don’t know. I just feel like it might be a slippery slope, but I can understand. At least in Colin Gray’s situation, that he was definitely a knucklehead. But being a knucklehead is not necessarily legal.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, that’s true. But step back for a second and take the stance of the parent who lost a child that day. You know what stance that you would take right there, you know?
[MCG]
Yeah, but yeah, I could do. But then you’re asking me to make an emotional decision rather than a decision based upon what should be legal or. And I guess what I said, of course, if it was my child, I would want these people to be buried under the jail. I understand that.
[MCG]
So I’m looking at it more like taking emotions out of it, because if you put emotions. In it. That doesn’t really mean it’s, you know, emotionally what they. So I’m trying to look at it from a point of view of, you know, let’s say appearing. Let’s say you came home from the beach or whatever and you were trying so much to get to the bathroom that you take your gun off of you and you put it on a shelf and you can’t get a hold of it. You know, am I going to be charged with something like? Because I was rushing to get to the bathroom and make a knucklehead decision, and the kid get a hold of the gun. That’s a super stroke I’m looking at. Of course, in Colin Gray’s iteration. I would agree with you. I think that yeah, he should have seen the red flag fly. Tags because I think they were dear, especially if having Polly’s coming to my home. I would like to say no, even for me personally. You know, before I had that fishing accident before, I lost all my guns, I had my guns locked up from my kids. But. I just see a super slope here where you can lead to government overreach. So I’m a little bit concerned about the fact that they’re being charged, but. I can’t understand why, especially in Colin Gray’s situation.
[Michael Jordan]
I like to look at the legal system and still my personal feelings are that all the legal system does have its issues and its problems. I don’t think that the parents would have been charged unless there was a preponderance of evidence that they could be charged and one they could be charged and one that they would be convicted. And I’m sure that they were. On this, and if there was any way that the charges could be dismissed, I think that their counsel would have come up with something to go ahead and to get the charges either dropped or reduced. I think that based upon the evidence, you know from what I’ve read, and again, we don’t have the benefit of the full transcript. But we can just see, you know, when there’s smoke, there’s. Now, clearly we’ve all seen cases where people should have gone to jail and they were found not guilty. But, you know, we’ve got to trust in some type of legal system. To go ahead and protect us anyway.
[MCG]
Yeah, I would agree to you. If the legal system wasn’t so political and it wasn’t guns. We know. Look at Kyle. Everybody would have guessed that Kyle Rittenhouse was an innocent man, but he was still drugged through the legal system. So again, I’m not defending Colin Gray. Not defending the. I just have concerns about the Super soap, because of course you say, OK, they must be the proponents of evidence to charge them and stuff like that. But at the same time, we can also say. Well, it could have just been. It could have just been you give your kids a gun and parents. I don’t want no longer giving kids a gun. So now I’m going to start charging parents because of that, to deter the action, even though it’s not illegal. So. While I can say yes, you know, trust the legal system at the same time we see people being charged just because a gun was involved and the legal system, the DA, the prosecutor, is not being honest and stuff, no.
[Michael Jordan]
I don’t think that there is a vehicle that’s available right now. Now to do anything but to charge the parents. You know, that’s my personal feelings. Know you know, someone’s gotta pay, you know. And that’s what they’re looking at. Anytime, you know, we’re seeing this right now with Daniel Penny in New York City. And why he’s even on trial. Just defies anything I’ve ever seen. But there’s people that want to get their ounce of flesh out of someone. And yes, the legal system. I think is more broken than. It’s fixed my opinion.
[MCG]
Hmm.
[Jay]
Just going to quickly say in each of these cases, isn’t it true in the country that minors are not allowed to own guns?
[Michael Jordan]
You can purchase long guns like rifles and shotguns when you re 18 years of age, but pistols is 21.
[Jay]
Right.
[MCG]
Yeah, federal law, federal law.
[Michael Jordan]
It’s clearly yes.
[Jay]
Well, I mean, we’re talking about a 14 year old and a 15 year old. Why was there unrestricted access to these weapons and not just the weapon, but ammo as well? Even on that basic level I could see. The parents should be held accountable even if they purchase it for the child. Let’s say you purchase it for the child.
[Michael Jordan]
Well.
[Jay]
Supposed to keep that weapon. You take them to the range for them to fire the weapon together, and then you bring it back and secure it. In this case, they were able to pop into.
[Michael Jordan]
Yeah.
[Jay]
If they were even secured, I don’t even think they were exactly so.
[Michael Jordan]
Responsible. Well, I can still, you know, as a kid right there, I can still remember going to buy 22 rounds so that I could go ahead and shoot 10 cans and.
[MCG]
They were sold to Steve back then.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, back when I was like 16 years of age, you know, we were.
[MCG]
Oh wow.
[Michael Jordan]
I remember. But, but you had to have an ID in sign. And I remember going to a range one time and they had.
[Jay]
Hmm.
[Michael Jordan]
Of people to. And I thought, well, that’d be good to go and try. Well, if you bought one of those targets, they wrote. Name down too, right? So they could see if you were planning anything nefarious, you know they would if anyone was ever charged. This person here, they got a target, you know. For the past six months, they were in here every night. You know, shooting must’ve been they were planning on something. They may have been something as innocent. Being able to protect themselves. You know, if they were ever thrust into things like that, but it still goes back to the basic premise in my mind, that being a parent requires a lot of responsibility. And you were. You know, not from cradle to grave, but cradle to adulthood when they’re off on their. All right. And as tough as that may be, and you have to go under the format that. Anything that they do is going to reflect upon you as a parent, you know, and we have seen more than once, right? There were, you know, we see a child that parents let them run free and you think, well, what’s up with that? Right. And although just a little thing that heard one time, we had a pastor one time. Who said this guy was on a subway in New York and he had like 5 kids and the kids were running around the subway and bouncing off the wall and being real crazy. And so one of the people in Subway said, what are you going to do about? Kids. And he said, I really don’t know. Just buried their mother.
[Jay]
Oh yeah, I actually remember that story. Yeah.
[Michael Jordan]
Yeah. Do you write their answer me tell you walked a mile in someone’s sandals, right? You really, really don’t know what’s going on, so it’s not a black and white cut and dry answer to this.
[Jay]
You. Really.
[Michael Jordan]
You. You can have a form of 40 people in here right now. And we’d start hearing things from both sides. You know what is the answer? I don’t know what the answer. You know, I wish that I did and everything that I’m giving you today is my personal opinion and you’re getting what you pay for.
[MCG]
Well, it can’t be the price, but definitely I would agree with Jason definitely. If you’re going to buy your kids a gun, I think you should at least inspect what you expect. Or at least in that case I would say so. But again, we’re talking about teenagers. And of course I would not do it, but I can understand. Anyways, let’s go on to this one because I think this one me probably would all agree on this one, but. Have digitallyer the digitally abstract Alea deal and plead guilty to felony charges and received two years in prison. DJ was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for lying on a 4473 and for those who have never filled out a four, 470-3473 is basically a form.
[Michael Jordan]
The federal form.
[MCG]
Federal form. You fill out a form background check whenever you buy a gun from FFL. So what happened on January 6/20/20? DJ’s 6 year old son somehow got a hold of her gun. It to school with the intention to hurt his teacher. He shot her. The bullet went to her hand and into her abdomen, hit her. Scrap about this.
[Fox 13 News Clip]
Developing tonight, the mother of the rich neck elementary school shooter pleaded guilty this morning to felony child neglect, prosecutors say. Taylor told investigators she typically kept her nine millimetre hand. In her purse with a trigger lock, which her son used to shoot his teacher, Abby’s Werner.
Right. Now Taylor is the only person currently charged in connection to this shooting and sprawling to the hearing. She’s in studio with us. So, Ann, how much time in prison could Taylor face?
Well, Dan, Janet, the maximum penalty for a child felony neglect case is five years, but prosecutors agreed to recommend up to six months in prison for Deja Taylor during the court hearing today. Also described what the boy told investigators. The night of the shooting. For the first time in several months, we’re learning more about how detectives say the rich neck elementary first grader got access to his mother’s handgun the day of the January 6 shooting in court Tuesday morning. The boy’s mother, Dejah Taylor, pleaded guilty to a felony child. Charge as part of the plea agreement between attorneys, prosecutors, Dism. Other charge of recklessly leaving a loaded handgun in reach of her child.
She feels very responsible, feels very bad.
During the hearing, prosecutors said Taylor told investigators the night of the shooting she typically leaves. Gun inside her purse, on her dresser with a trigger lock, but still didn’t know how her son got ahold of. They then said the boy told investigators he climbed his mother’s dresser and took the gun the night before he shot his teacher, Abby’s Werner, in the hours after the shooting. Detectives say they even heard the boy say, quote, I stole the gun because I needed to shoot. Taylor faces up to six months in prison if the judge stays within the prosecutors recommendations. The 26 year old mother also faces 18 months to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of lying on her gun permit paperwork about using marijuana, Taylors Attorney James. Ellenson says the judge could take that case into Consid. When sentencing Taylor on the child neglect charge.
That I guess the thought would be that if she does have to be incarcerated, maybe the federal system would have more opportunities for rehabilitation and counseling and things of that nature.
Now Ellenson didn’t respond directly to our questions about how the child got ahold of his mother’s handgun. In response to this guilty plea, Abby Warners attorney sent 13 news, now a statement saying quote as the criminal probe widens, our focus remains on justice for Abby and holding the. System accountable for failing to act on warnings that the boy had a gun. I’m an. For 13 news now.
[MCG]
Also, Michael, do you have it? We have a month. Otter with a six year old son, somehow got a call of a gun. This one is a wine ragin because she was a marijuana user, lied on the for the for some degree, that’s a crime, so she shouldn’t have had that gun. But also she left it in a position where a city old son could get a hold of it. And then you talk about the depravity of. The child you know, of course, we as Christians believe that we are all. Morning sin and shaping any iniquity but six year old like you could already plan that you go to go to school and kill your teacher. Jump in and give your overall thoughts.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, First off. You know, the mother certainly had some problems starting with lying on the 4473, which we’ve also seen with one hunter. You know the same type of thing and you know, you see routinely people are caught doing that and anytime you fill out that form, you’re generally. Counseled, in fact, right there. Please answer all these things truthfully and if someone would say hey, how do I sign this? No, we cannot counsel you how to answer it. Answer It as honestly as you possibly can, because there will be repercussions if you’re not telling the truth and the fact is you know she was a marijuana user and by all accounts I believe she was a single mother. Believe. And you know, she said that she had a trigger lock and key right there.
[MCG]
That’s correct.
[Michael Jordan]
Don’t think she ever had a trigger locking key. You know, I think that.
[MCG]
I don’t believe that.
[Michael Jordan]
In that case, they search for the trigger lock. And the. And they never found one I think was real, real convenient. Yes, I’d go ahead and do that and if.
[MCG]
I would say this. I think that she got the gun with a chigger lock. Yes, because most big box store when you buy a gun. Them they. Right, But don’t think 1.
[Michael Jordan]
Yes. And I you know, I would endorse that statement.
[MCG]
But I don’t think 1 was under gun when the kid got ahold of it.
[Michael Jordan]
No, no. You know and I got to believe that if it was in her purse and she’s a single mother. You know, if she was going to use it for self protection, you know the time it would take to fumble around on a key to take a trigger lock off the pistol to protect yourself could mean the difference between life and death. Don’t believe that she ever had it on there. You know, it was convenient. She was probably instructed to say that, you know, when she was arrested, but she never had that. More overreaching was the fact that her son clearly had problems. Her son was firmly aware that she carried a pistol. And that’s something you as an adult, you probably wouldn’t want to broadcast that around, right? And tell your children. So she was. I think treating her son as an equal in many regards and he probably saw her take it out of her purse and fondle it and spend the cylinder and load it and unload it. And so I think that he was firmly aware of what she had, and she probably would practice shooting in right there. Again, I’m just writing a story obviously right there, but I think that she was really complicit in this. You know, that she could have stopped that if the weapon had been properly secured. This probably would never have happened, you know. Have taken a baseball bat on the playground right there, and bop Drup saw the hit or something, but he never would have used a gun, I think. View. Just a federal crime that she committed. You only get, you know, 24 months on those things. So if she only got 21 and they’re trying to get her out and you know, I never heard the full story about the kid, I’m sure that the kid is in some kind of. Somewhere I got to believe.
[MCG]
No, he. Last thing I heard was he was being careful by his great grandpa.
[Jay]
***** with his grandpa. Oh, great grandpa, right?
[MCG]
The thing for me was let me just say that we did an episode, episode 152, DJ Taylor or DJ Taylor versus Hunter Biden. Of class. If you want to go back and listen to that sometime, of course we did that episode earlier. But it baffles my mind. How at six, you can already plan that you’re going to kill somebody. Mentioned video games earlier. Don’t know. How do you become that depraved that early? You know, it speaks to the home the kid was being raised in. Speak to a lot of things that the government and society don’t want to touch on because. 6. You know, I’m a father and I have 6 year olds and I don’t think that anything of like that was on their mind. Nothing they are capable, I’m just like.
[Michael Jordan]
Yeah, but you’re raising your kids. In a atmosphere where they’re not exposed to a lot of that, you know you’re not letting them watch a lot of shoot em up shows on TV and things like that. Bear in mind you know, when I was a kid, I used to watch. Used to really, really enjoy Westerns, you know Cowboys and Indians and doing that and all the war Movies Now that never. Incited me to want to go ahead and kill anybody. I mean, my buddies and I, we used to always play those games, you know? And but it was make believe. I think that a lot of the environment these kids are being raised in now, they’re being exposed to a lot of. Outside. Videos and things that have a grave impact on them. You know, I honestly believe that. And their classmates too, you know, and all trying to. One either blend in or stand out in their crowd, and I’m sure a lot of these kids probably talk about that and sadly, you know, a lot of the inner cities, that’s the environment that they grow up in. A lot of drive by shootings and various other things where these kids are swimming in those waters. And they grow up saying, well, you know, I’m going to have to learn how to protect myself. And as soon as I can get a weapon, I’m going to do it. And that is a failure on society’s part, you know, and I know how to possibly fix that, but we’ve got more single parents now than we’ve ever had. All right. And and the whole fabric of the family, you know, used to be really, really central. Right there, regardless of race. The whole fabric. And now the fabric of the central family is being disintegrated, regardless of race. It’s very, very sad, right? You see a whole lot of single mother single. Fathers, and you know they’re paying the price for that now, I think.
[MCG]
Yeah, I think about it because I don’t know. I guess he can blame TV, can blame video games, but there’s something just is really off there for me that the 60 year old would have that thought. But of course, let’s compare the tree now. So we have the crumb blades. Have the Grays and all we have. Taylor’s. So for me, you know, should deja be charged? I would say absolutely yes. The kid is 6. The others you can make the argument that teenagers, they have agency. But a six year old. Don’t know. You know, I was listening to a podcast the other day and he said, you know, how do you know if you can control your kids and they say if you can still pick them up, you can control them. I can understand.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, that’s in the physical.
[MCG]
So 1416, I can understand, but 6 something is not right there for me, but.
[Jay]
But you know, a six year old is just as sinful as a 14 year old or a 15 year old.
[MCG]
That’s true, but.
[Jay]
What I’m saying is, if we’re all equally depraved, right, we shouldn’t be necessarily surprised that a six year old who can’t at that age, I would agree, can’t regulate his own emotions. Clear. Probably much. Than than 1415. 20 year old. We shouldn’t be surprised that if he’s that angry about something, it would make sense that he would pick up a gun and try to solve his problem much more so than a 14 or 15 year old, I would imagine.
[MCG]
I think it speaks to the environment. Kid was raising more than.
It.
[Jay]
I think it’s a little bit more than that, right? Let me push back on what Michael Jordan. Here you said you grew up on westerns and war movies. That is a visual depiction of people shooting others, people shooting each. Other and you didn’t grow up to be a school shooter or anything that crazy or you didn’t grow up to kill anybody. I grew up with very little filter in terms of what we watched on TV, and I didn’t grow up to. So there’s something else missing there. There is a grounding element. In our lives that we experience that these kids don’t have, we mentioned how the Grays beats and crumbly and cult Gray were left alone for extended periods of time with this device in their hand warping their mind. And no real family interaction to ground them to pin them to soil. Otherwise, you know their mind would just, you know, go off into attention. I imagine that this 6 year old was probably no different.
[MCG]
Well, he came out that he had behavioral issues, even ignoring all that, the fact that at six you were able to this. Think. This LAN this and execute. I can understand a 14 year old doing that because at that point he already started thinking logically and stuff like that. But to me, a six year old, more so than a 14 year old. You know, make this decision because of the environment he’s growing up in. Me. He’s doing it because maybe that’s what he’s exposed. Maybe that’s what he understands from the rap music and the music that his family listen to. And I think that is more of environment than so much that of course, we believe that all of us are sinners, but I can’t imagine his mind is so depraved that way. 6. Out the environment.
[Jay]
But I promise you that Ethan Cromley and Colt Gray didn’t have, you know, great tasting music either.
[MCG]
But they were older.
[Jay]
Yeah, they were older, but there’s really no difference in how that sort of thing. OK, let me backtrack. Right. I guarantee you if we go through the movies and the music that the crumbles and the Grays listen to, they’re just as sinful, just as crazy as what we would expect. A little boy here to be exposed to. Well, the only difference is the genre on one. You’ve got rock, let’s say, maybe pop music on one end. You have rap on one end, you’ve got. Boyzin the hood movies or thug or gang movies, and on the other hand you’ve got Westerns. Or in their case, maybe the video games with the Doom and the Grand Theft Auto and all these different things.
[MCG]
What a.
[Jay]
Saying is the soup that they’re swimming in is no difference. All filth. And so the six year old would be more likely to figure out that, oh, I can solve my problem by my teacher wants me to do my homework and I don’t want to. There’s no emotional control there, and so I’m going to solve this problem by grabbing the gun. The 14 to 15 year old, of course. There’s a little bit. I’m not saying that they can fully control. They’re still children, but more so than a six year old. We shouldn’t even be what I’m getting at is. There’s no difference between them. I don’t see much of a difference between them, except for the age.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, I think that all three cases. All the kids were a product of their environment, you know, and it was very, very overreaching, right? MMM. You know, it was the environment that they exerienced in school and the environment they exerienced at home. And those two things, coupled with their mental state. Now obviously, you know they didn’t.
[Jay]
Yeah. Was like the gasoline, right?
[Michael Jordan]
Yes, and it was a perfect storm. And with this latest case that we just discussed, you know that young man that went to school with the pistol, if his mother kept it in her purse, you know, that creates a lot of weight in that purse, you know, and you as a woman right there, you. Put in one thing in your purse right there. You can tell with something is missing. Just by the weight. If her son went to school that day and she grabbed her purse. She would have. Why is this thing so loose there, you know. Why wasn’t she alerted the fact? Where is. Did I drop it out of here? You know, and contact the school so you know there’s more to this story that was never exposed again. You know, unless we had. Full review of the transcript of. Trial and you know, personally, I think in many regards, she’s getting off very, very light. Yeah, very, very light, right? You know, she’s, you know, it could have.
[Jay]
Do you think part of it was because she accepted responsibility? Because it seems like.
[Michael Jordan]
A whole.
[MCG]
No. She took a plea deal.
[Michael Jordan]
She did take a plea.
[Jay]
Oh, OK.
[Jay]
Got it.
[Michael Jordan]
You know, incenses was a federal rap, too, for the most. But you know that coupled with the child shooting, but I think they were putting more weight on the federal charges I think than the actual shooting and. Had the teacher been killed, it’d probably been a different story.
[Jay]
Sure, sure.
[Michael Jordan]
But I believe the teacher. She’s suing the school board for $40 million or something, I think. Nothing.
[MCG]
Because the kid had behavior issues and.
[Jay]
To her, they did nothing.
[MCG]
Been to the principal office and but again going back, I’m going to go on to the last story here.
[Michael Jordan]
Yes.
OK.
[MCG]
Go back when he shot the teacher. The six year old said. I shot and used the B word for female dog dead. That speaks to, I don’t know, to be using that language at six.
[Jay]
Oh, he’s definitely heard it in the. For sure, yeah.
[Michael Jordan]
Although there is no question you know of.
[Jay]
No question.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, you know, we see a lot of these kids and clearly, you know, I was in construction and a lot of the women in there would cuss like drunken sailors just as much as the guys were, you know, and I’d ask some of these girls that were working. I said, do you eat with that mouth? You know. You know I. I don’t know why you want to degrade yourself like that and, but we’ve seen the whole thing and you can be in a whole group of people walking in the mall or whatever on the street and the.
[Jay]
Yeah.
[Michael Jordan]
Is deplorable. And you’re right, the kids are raised in. Environment and they’re swimming in those. Waters, you know, how do you expect that they’re going to? They want to identify with the adults, you know? OK, so for me to be a big man or big girl right there. And I got to talk like they do, you know, I got to do this and, you know, and it’s very, very tragic. And these are the.
[MCG]
Yeah.
[Michael Jordan]
That are going to be running this nation. You know what you said?
[Jay]
At some point, yeah, it’s all the same soup. Yep.
[MCG]
Said. All right, well, this is another. This has nothing to do with firearms, but I want to compare unconscious because guess I’m the only one saying that I’d say super slow Pierre. I’m going to try to tie this in with. If I am so, here’s a news article.
[Fox 45 News Clip]
In Anne Arundel County, homeowner calls for accountability. After police say 4 juveniles in a stolen car crashed into his home while his family was sleep. All four suspects were released to their parents, something the homeowner calls unacceptable.
Tonight, Fox 45’s Jessica Babb has an update on that investigation.
[Fox 45 News Clip]
You can still see the aftermath out here after police say teens stole a car, that car then crashing into a truck. The truck then plowing into the. You can even see these car parts out here on the sidewalk still. And if you take a look at the home. Alvin boarded up and you can see that blue tarp. I talked with the homeowner earlier today and he says someone could have been killed. And says when it comes to the teens in the car, there need to be more consequences for the crime. On the corner of Church St. in Brooklyn, with wooden boards going up and car parts still scattered around, Lamont Brown and his family are now without their home.
Our whole lives are in there. Right now, we’re going to a hotel, but. I don’t know.
Police say this damage was caused by 4 teens caught in a stolen car.
Like you don’t got nothing better to do on a school? My whole family was at risk like it, and I mean that just makes me even matter.
And while the teens ended here, they started just down the street on Cram Ave. police. 250 Friday morning they got a call about someone tampering with a car.
I jumped off a weight to my sister screaming. That her car was being broken into and we need to come outside.
A car belonging to Noah Landers family.
They broke in with the screwdriver to get the ignition out, but we had just got the update on it about a month ago so they weren’t able to so they got.
Back in and left. And while he says they weren’t successful stealing their car, police say when they. To Cram Ave. they saw a black sedan leading the area. Minutes later.
1:00 and 4:00.
That block sedan with four teams inside hitting a. The truck then plunging right through the doorway of Lamont Brown’s home near his living room.
Yes, they. I don’t know how fast they’re going, but they’re going really fast.
Brown says he fell asleep on the couch Thursday night, but woke up around 1:00 AM the crash happening less than two hours later.
I could have been gone. Could have been dead.
Emergency responders telling him his home with his family and young kids sleeping upstairs could have come crashing down.
We were all sleep in my room. Right when this happened? Like my fiance like. So all the weight was right there from all our body weight. And they hit the supports right below. So if it would’ve came down, we came down, been on top of the truck.
Police arrested 2 14 year olds, one of which was driving a 13 year old and a 16 year old. Police say the car they were driving was stolen, while all four of them were given juvenile citations. They were later sent home, released to their guardians.
They needed to spend a couple nights in jail, something they need, even if.
[MCG]
So teenagers. 13, 14 and 16, 2 14 one 13, 1 16 they were sighted and sent home. This happened in. Let me finish this and we’ll talk.
[Fox 45 News Clip]
About it, even if they’re not with the general population, they need something, something. You. There’s No Fear instilled in them like. They did it, and then they went home to their house. That’s not damaged.
All a spokesperson from Anne Arundel County Police says the juveniles will still have to appear in court when notified. They couldn’t tell me if any of these kids had had prior offenses. Say they don’t have access to juvenile criminal history records.
If you get a tap on the wrist, you gonna do it again like that needs to be more accountability.
Brown says.
You gotta keep. Kids in check, officials say.
Five people were taken to the hospital and As for Brown, he says he’s going to be dealing with these consequences day after day. Says it could be weeks or even up to a few months before he and his family can get back into their home. In Anne Arundel County, Jessica Babb Fox 45 news.
[Jay]
That’s. I’m looking at a picture of it. Truck looks like a freight train. It. They were definitely speeding and half of the truck is inside of the front door. The house.
[MCG]
Yeah, but my issue here now is that I’m tying. That’s why I’m saying is a superstroke because why weren’t the parents arrested here and charged? Because you’re talking about the same age as Ethan Cromley and Coke Gray. The parents are not in jail. These teenagers were basically slapping the racist. Here’s a citation. Home and I’m like. Firearms were involved. They would not have been sent home, but they did as much damage as a Firehouse would have done. This is where I’m like. You know what? Either they attacking the gun because the political issue because to me saying what’s good for the goose is good for the gun. Teenagers should be in jail. Their parents should be held accountable if that’s the standard we are setting.
[Jay]
You’re saying that the state is not applying. This hold up parents accountable across the board and that they should or they shouldn’t or.
[MCG]
Across the board. Amazon, if that’s the standard, yes, that’s the standard.
[Jay]
OK.
[MCG]
Well, that’s not the standard and I understand it happened in Maryland, which is one of the most liberal states in the country, but.
[Jay]
OK.
[Michael Jordan]
That’s. And the fact is, is that the kids did not take one of the family vehicles. They stole the vehicle and you could try to defend that case, right? I didn’t know my kids were even out there doing that, but there should be consequences against the kids.
[MCG]
You don’t know where your kids are? Negligence.
[Michael Jordan]
What’s that? Yeah, well, you know there is because you’re responsible for the actions of your kids. OK, that if as we talked about right there, if your kids are out here one day and they take their baseball and break every window in the house next door, then you’re going to.
[Jay]
Your. Yeah.
[Michael Jordan]
Called to go ahead and replace all those windows. Right. You know, as you as parents, should there be something we haven’t heard the rest of the stories, but I’ve got to believe that these people that are thrust out of their dwelling, you know, somebody’s going to have to pay for that. Their insurance company will prob. Pay for. Repairs, but they’re going to go after someone and I would think that they would go after all the deep pockets of all those four kids families and say you buckets. Well, if they have deep, you know, deep pockets right there.
[MCG]
Sure, if. Have the bucket.
[Michael Jordan]
They would be. I would think that there’s more to this story that the parents are going to have to pay back some monetary value for all this damage. You know, once again the fabric of the legal system is anything but just in many, many cases, you know, and we see that more and more and we see it on the West Coast where they just passed that Prop 36 or whatever it was where they have.
[MCG]
Hmm.
[Michael Jordan]
The people that if you steal $1000 or less. You can walk or you get a no cash bail.
[MCG]
That was just repealing by the voters, though.
[Michael Jordan]
But you know Gavin Newsom didn’t want to see it. And and I don’t think you know that Harris did either, because she was one, was trying to raise bail for all these people that protested for the January 6th.
[MCG]
Of course not.
[Michael Jordan]
Damage that was being done.
[MCG]
Not generic George Floyd riot stuff.
[Michael Jordan]
Oh, well, yes, yes, yes, yeah.
[MCG]
You said January. I just want to correct.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, well, well. You know, the January 6th, the post January 6th where they were in, you know, Seattle and Portland.
[Jay]
Oh yeah, pass and all that.
[Michael Jordan]
Dam Dam damaging all the buildings and trashing right there and they destroyed federal property. And and I’d not never saw where anyone was charged, where they went.
[MCG]
Yeah.
[Michael Jordan]
Burned up cities when they burned. Stores. They looted them all and then burned them to the ground. And there was one case, just a a little aside. There was a guy and his girlfriend that were responsible for destroying a Wendy’s. They went in there and they burned it down to the ground, which resulted in over, I think, $3,000,000 damage to the building and. The loss of some 25 jobs for the people that work there and apparently in the court case, and I’ll find it for you, the judge gave him like, each a $500 fine. And in three years probation, explain that to me. That work, you know, if it was anyone of us, we would be under the jail right now, you know? So. So. But yeah, once again, you know, farms is something that I can speak to right there. Once that brown leaves that barrel, you know you can’t call it back, but something like vehicular theft and damage that you know, I think that the parents have got to be prepared that sharp. Is probably going to go after. Oh yeah, for their work in or if they don’t, then perhaps they have somebody set up a go fund me page or something which I don’t understand a lot.
[MCG]
So.
[Michael Jordan]
That either you know so, right.
[Jay]
Well, let me ask you this, Mr. Jordan, in light of everything that we’ve talked about here, we’re talking about alienated kids being held captive by their technology. Parents providing weapons for them, even though access to the weapons, even though there is a marked shift in their mental state and in their mental clarity.
[Michael Jordan]
Access.
[Jay]
You think that parents should be a little bit more? Vigilant. Or should they assess their kids mental states before purchasing weapons for them? Are allowing them access to weapons. In your opinion?
[Michael Jordan]
Oh. Certainly they should be. You know you have to be proactive.
[Jay]
But you know how?
[Michael Jordan]
You have to be very proactive in that.
[Jay]
You know how those some people will use firearms as a therapeutic? Sort of. You know, let’s look at the situation with Chris Kyle, who was killed by someone who he was trying to help, had mental issues and took him to the range as a form of therapy. You know, so there is the argument that perhaps. Having the weapons having that *** activity can be helpful to their mental state, so I could see that side of it as. But do you think that parents should be evaluating their kids mental States and either providing access or withholding access depending on what they see?
[Michael Jordan]
Certainly, certainly the responsibly lies fully on the shoulders of. You know you have to personally assess whether or not they have the mental state. They have the maturity. In which they can do things and if they demonstrate you know and we get a bunch of kids out there and they’re slinging weapons around, you know, and I’ve seen adults too. Have trained a lot of adults too. In fact, a novel fast word. I’ve got a friend of mine who was a cop in DC. And he was also a command Sergeant major in the Army Reserve. He was in charge of a big MP unit and he said that. They were on their month training or whatever have you and he was asked to go ahead and to qualify a doctor in his weapon usage, you know. And he said that he met the guy out there. And the first thing the guy did, the doctor right there. He. The weapon around. In his in his face right there, you know. And so he said he grabbed the weapon and he slapped the guy upside his head. There, you know, and said don’t do that. You know, keep the point of downrange, you know, and he did it again. He pulled the. Now the guy’s hand. And slapped him upside this last time I’m asked. Point the weapon downrange and let’s go through this and had to spend a lot of time before. Could qualify and he said it wasn’t 15 minutes later after he finished up that the Co had the CSM in his office and he said, I understand that you. The major upside the head and he said sure did. Twice. Twice. And he said, well, tell me the story. And so he told. See how the story, and he said after the second time you should have knocked him out. And you know it’s not.
[Jay]
Yeah.
[Michael Jordan]
But adults can be just as irresponsible, and I’m sure you’ve seen this too.
[Jay]
Sure.
[Michael Jordan]
Firearm safety is something that cannot be taken lightly. It’s got to be something and you need to start a very, very young age with kids, even if they have toy guns right there, you know, just to go ahead and explain to him right there.
[Jay]
Yep.
[Michael Jordan]
Don’t point it at your brother. Know so.
[Jay]
We do that with our. It doesn’t matter if it’s a toy gun or even if it’s a stick. Take walking sticks out onto the trails that we go to.
[Michael Jordan]
OK, sure.
[Jay]
Don’t point. Stick where you’re not.
[Michael Jordan]
Sure, sure, sure.
[Jay]
You know, just get get them in the habit of being very careful with whatever it is they have in their hands.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, that’s because you’re a responsible parents, right? You don’t want anything to happen. Right. But that’s not going to ensure that something will not happen.
[Jay]
Will not happen. Anything can happen.
[Michael Jordan]
But you have to take every precaution and do everything in your power right there to instruct your kids the right way. So a days in you can say I’ve done everything that I can do and then if something happens, then you’re going to second guess. And reflect back on everything that you’ve done and said. Did I make the mistake? Yeah.
[MCG]
Yeah. All right, Mr. John. Let’s wrap it. What’s the bigger picture? What’s the take away from all this? Let’s let. On it.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, I thought would have to say that with all the current affairs that we are being seen on children causing damage in schools, that it requires some way to make parents more vigilant. And more responsible not in just firearms, but in anything of their kids life. Anything that would throw their children out of kilter, that would possibly result in them causing harm to others or themselves, you know, and we’ve seen both of that and but bottom line is it’s got to begin at the home. That the whole fabric of the family has got to be restored, you know, because back when I was a kid, you never saw any of this. And I think that that was due in part because the fabric of the family was much better. Families did not put up with a lot of nonsense with kids. I’m sure that you guys were probably raised. Your parents probably didn’t want to debate anything with. Their word was the law, you know, and it was either their way or the highway, you know. And so bottom line is, will that help to restore and reduce some of this stuff? I don’t know. You know, because I think that the culture is there right now where you’re starting to see, you know, a lot of this. Bottom line is that it’s going to require more villages. With the parents, I think.
[MCG]
All right. Definitely. Well, MJ.
[Michael Jordan]
Yes.
[MCG]
Sir Michael Jordan, the one that can’t jump.
[Michael Jordan]
That’s right.
[MCG]
Thank you for joining us and Removing Barriers podcast.
[Michael Jordan]
Well, thank you for having me. Great.
[Jay]
Hey, thanks so much for listening to the Removing Barriers podcast. Did you know that you can find us on Twitter? Gab, parler, Facebook and Reddit. Go to removingbarriers.net/contact and like and follow us on social media. Removing barriers. A clear view of the cross.
[MCG]
Thank you for listening. To get ahold of us to support this podcast or to learn more about removing barriers, go to removing barriers. Net, this has been the Removing Barriers podcast. We attempted to remove barriers so that we all can have a clear view of the cross.
