Concerns grow over teen gun access in U.S. after 15-year-old kills 5

Teenagers' access to guns in the U.S. has come under the spotlight again after a 15-year-old boy recently shot five of his family members in the state of Washington.

The teenager has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with the rampage on October 21, where his parents and three of his siblings, aged 7, 9 and 13, were found dead when deputies arrived, USA Today reported.

Authorities say the teenager used his father's gun that was stored in a lockbox. The suspected shooter was the only child to know the code to the lockbox, USA Today reported, citing the court filings. The next court date has been set for January 8.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children in the U.S., according to a report released in September by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, and authorities have prosecuted parents for giving access to weapons in recent cases.

For example, in September, the father of the suspected shooter at Apalachee High School in Georgia was charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder and cruelty to children for allowing his son to possess a weapon.

In Michigan, parents of a mass school shooter were convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the four deaths at Oxford High School in 2021.

Jennifer Dolan-Waldman, vice chair of Seattle-based Grandmothers Against Gun Violence, told USA Today that the shooting in Washington highlights the prevalence of unfettered access to guns that are used in killings across the country.

About 40 percent of young Americans said they have at least "somewhat easy" access to a gun, with 21 percent reporting "very easy" access to a gun. In addition, nearly 17 percent of youth report that they plan to have access to a firearm in the future, according to a report released in July 2023 by Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit organization which advocates for gun control and against gun violence.

Around 90 percent of homicides in 2019 by teens aged 15 to 17 involved firearms, up from around 60 percent in 1980, the Public Broadcasting Service reported, citing data from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

"The bottom line is kids should not have guns," Dolan-Waldman told USA Today.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: Students gather at the Tennessee State Capitol building in protest to demand action for gun reform laws in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., April 3, 2023. /CFP)