RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — In the Commonwealth of Virginia, adults can be held legally responsible if a child obtains their firearm — and proposed legislation could strengthen these regulations.
On Wednesday, Feb. 28, the Richmond Police Department charged 59-year-old Cornelius Robinson of Richmond, a family member of an Oak Grove/Bellemeade Elementary School student who brought a loaded gun onto school property, with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
“Bringing a gun to school, we know that is already illegal,” 8News legal analyst Russ Stone said. “If the [adults’] actions contributed to a child bringing a gun to school, they could be charged with that offense.”
Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor said that, when these types of cases come through her office, she asks several questions about the circumstances.
“We often want to ask the question of how did this child obtain this firearm,” Taylor said. “Where did they find it? Where was it at the time that they found it? Under what circumstances? Was it secure? Was it loaded? Did the grown up in the home know that there was a weapon in the house?”
Another case of a child obtaining a weapon with a parent being held responsible was when Deja Taylor was charged with felony child neglect after her first-grade son shot his teacher with her gun at Richneck Elementary in Newport News.
This year, lawmakers in Virginia are pushing to tighten up regulations surrounding these types of situations.
SB 44, authored by State Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico), would charge parents with a felony if their child gets access to their gun, if a school threat assessment has found the child to be a danger to themselves or others — or if they have been charged or convicted of certain violent juvenile felonies.
This bill is supported by the family of Lucia Bremer, the 13-year-old who was shot nine times while walking home from school in Henrico County in 2021. Her 14-year-old killer used a loaded handgun found in his home.
Taylor’s office prosecuted Bremer’s case and she said she believes laws like this would make a difference.
“If any adult is going to undertake that very serious responsibility to have a gun in their home, they must be further responsible and ensure that it never gets into the hands of a child,” Taylor said.
