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Parents do a lot for their kids. So the fact that Robert Crimo, III’s father sponsored his gun application might be considered reasonable. Except for the fact that the police had been called on his son multiple times for being a danger to himself and others.

Twenty-one-year-old accused killer Robert Crimo, III. threatened to kill everyone in his family in September 2019. The family was so concerned that they called police, who ultimately removed a dagger, sword and a collection of 16 knives from his home, reports the New York Post. Just three months later, his father, Robert Crimo, Jr., sponsored his son when he applied for a firearm owner’s identification card (FOID). Using the FOID card that his dad helped him get, Crimo, III purchased four firearms in June and July 2020. He used the Smith & Wesson AR-15 he bought to commit the massacre.

In Illinois, when a gun buyer is under age 21, “their parent or legal guardian must sponsor the application and sign an affidavit stating they’re allowing the purchase and they agree to be held ‘liable … for any damages resulting from the minor applicant’s use of firearms.’”

Still, Robert Crimo Jr., the father, seems to shirk any level of responsibility for what his son did on the Fourth of July at the Highland Park parade. On Wednesday, Crimo Jr. described the incident where his son threatened to kill everyone in the family as just a “childish outburst,” and said the knives were “just collection.” He has also claimed he just thought his son wanted to go to a shooting range with his guns. Crimo, Jr. has, however, hired attorney Steven Greenberg, who once represented R. Kelly, to represent him.

The killer’s father has pointed out that his son, “[y]ou know, he drove there, he ordered them, he picked them up, they did his background check on each one,” and claimed “zero” involvement in the massacre. He even said, “I want a long sentence. That’s life. You know you have consequences for actions. He made a choice. He didn’t have to do that. I think there’s mental illness there, obviously. … I didn’t see a lot of it.”

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There seems to be a lot behind what Robert Crimo, III did on the Fourth of July. There were warning signs that were ignored. Do you think the parents of an adult child should bear any responsibility when their child commits such a crime?