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Duty falls on parent who buys teen a gun
By Kathleen Brady Shea
Inquirer Staff Writer
When a Plymouth Meeting mother was charged last week with supplying her son with guns, the case sparked national outrage.
Many people asked how Michele Cossey, 46, could possibly have purchased firearms for her 14-year-old son; others wondered whether they knew other lawbreakers.
In a state where hunting is so sacred that some school districts schedule time off during deer season, thousands of Pennsylvania parents buy guns each year for their children.
During the 2006-07 season, the state issued 98,163 junior hunting licenses to children aged 12 to 17, according to Jerry Feaser, a spokesman for the state Game Commission.
Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. said most parents whose children hunt or shoot for target practice have nothing to fear.
"It's not against the law for a parent to purchase a gun for a child to use under their supervision," he said. "It's not OK for a parent to buy a gun and say, 'Here, have at it; do whatever you want.' "
Michele Cossey was arrested after her 14-year-old son, Dillon Cossey, told police about his plans for "a Columbine-type shooting" at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School and the guns his mother had bought for him.
Dillon Cossey was charged with solicitation to commit terror and other offenses; he is in the custody of juvenile authorities.
Like the four other district attorneys in the region, Castor could not recall another case in which a parent was charged with allowing illegal possession of a firearm by a minor and unlawful transfer of a firearm.
Michele Cossey's attorney, Timothy Woodward, said he would have no comment on the case until his client's preliminary hearing on Nov. 1.
Castor said Michele Cossey made an illegal "straw" purchase by "buying a weapon for someone who is not allowed to possess it."
Police seized a 9mm semiautomatic Hi-Point semiautomatic carbine with a laser scope from Dillon Cossey's bedroom in the family's Plymouth Valley home. Two other guns purchased by Michele Cossey for her son - a .22 handgun and a single-shot .22 rifle - were being stored at a friend's home, police said.
The fact that she may not have known of her son's dark side - marked by his Web sites glorifying violence - is irrelevant to the charges, Castor said.
The charge of unlawful possession by a minor also includes the other two gun purchases, said Montgomery County First Assistant District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman. Though those guns were stored elsewhere, they constituted "constructive possession" by the youth, Ferman said.
Under the law, when a person does not have actual possession but has the power to control an item, he has constructive possession.
State Police Lt. Gary L. Schuler, director of the firearms division, said firearms used by young hunters or target-shooters must be registered in an adult's name and remain under an adult's supervision at all times.
Even then, the adult must be within "sight and hearing range" of a child with a gun, Schuler said.
Under federal law, a person must be 21 to purchase a handgun or handgun ammunition. State law permits an 18-year-old to buy a rifle or shotgun or ammunition and a 17-year-old to possess a rifle without adult supervision, but only for hunting.
Diane Edbril, executive director of CeaseFire PA, said she hoped the "unusually extreme" Plymouth Whitemarsh case would heighten awareness about the perils of gun access.
"Teenagers by nature are impulsive, frequently angst-ridden, and lacking in judgment," she said. "Some tragedy is going to ensue."
Michael Friedland, owner of French Creek Outfitters, said the high number of youth hunting permits is a result of Pennsylvania's "deep tradition" of intergenerational hunting.
For many customers of his hunting and fishing store in Phoenixville, shopping is a family affair, Friedland said. Some manufacturers even market "youth-size" guns, he said.
Friedland said the majority of his customers purchase safety equipment and keep their guns locked. They are knowledgeable about the law, and keep close tabs on their children during gun use.
"Any sane person would do that, even if it weren't the law," he said.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/loca...Duty_falls_on_parent_who_buys_teen_a_gun.html
By Kathleen Brady Shea
Inquirer Staff Writer
When a Plymouth Meeting mother was charged last week with supplying her son with guns, the case sparked national outrage.
Many people asked how Michele Cossey, 46, could possibly have purchased firearms for her 14-year-old son; others wondered whether they knew other lawbreakers.
In a state where hunting is so sacred that some school districts schedule time off during deer season, thousands of Pennsylvania parents buy guns each year for their children.
During the 2006-07 season, the state issued 98,163 junior hunting licenses to children aged 12 to 17, according to Jerry Feaser, a spokesman for the state Game Commission.
Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. said most parents whose children hunt or shoot for target practice have nothing to fear.
"It's not against the law for a parent to purchase a gun for a child to use under their supervision," he said. "It's not OK for a parent to buy a gun and say, 'Here, have at it; do whatever you want.' "
Michele Cossey was arrested after her 14-year-old son, Dillon Cossey, told police about his plans for "a Columbine-type shooting" at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School and the guns his mother had bought for him.
Dillon Cossey was charged with solicitation to commit terror and other offenses; he is in the custody of juvenile authorities.
Like the four other district attorneys in the region, Castor could not recall another case in which a parent was charged with allowing illegal possession of a firearm by a minor and unlawful transfer of a firearm.
Michele Cossey's attorney, Timothy Woodward, said he would have no comment on the case until his client's preliminary hearing on Nov. 1.
Castor said Michele Cossey made an illegal "straw" purchase by "buying a weapon for someone who is not allowed to possess it."
Police seized a 9mm semiautomatic Hi-Point semiautomatic carbine with a laser scope from Dillon Cossey's bedroom in the family's Plymouth Valley home. Two other guns purchased by Michele Cossey for her son - a .22 handgun and a single-shot .22 rifle - were being stored at a friend's home, police said.
The fact that she may not have known of her son's dark side - marked by his Web sites glorifying violence - is irrelevant to the charges, Castor said.
The charge of unlawful possession by a minor also includes the other two gun purchases, said Montgomery County First Assistant District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman. Though those guns were stored elsewhere, they constituted "constructive possession" by the youth, Ferman said.
Under the law, when a person does not have actual possession but has the power to control an item, he has constructive possession.
State Police Lt. Gary L. Schuler, director of the firearms division, said firearms used by young hunters or target-shooters must be registered in an adult's name and remain under an adult's supervision at all times.
Even then, the adult must be within "sight and hearing range" of a child with a gun, Schuler said.
Under federal law, a person must be 21 to purchase a handgun or handgun ammunition. State law permits an 18-year-old to buy a rifle or shotgun or ammunition and a 17-year-old to possess a rifle without adult supervision, but only for hunting.
Diane Edbril, executive director of CeaseFire PA, said she hoped the "unusually extreme" Plymouth Whitemarsh case would heighten awareness about the perils of gun access.
"Teenagers by nature are impulsive, frequently angst-ridden, and lacking in judgment," she said. "Some tragedy is going to ensue."
Michael Friedland, owner of French Creek Outfitters, said the high number of youth hunting permits is a result of Pennsylvania's "deep tradition" of intergenerational hunting.
For many customers of his hunting and fishing store in Phoenixville, shopping is a family affair, Friedland said. Some manufacturers even market "youth-size" guns, he said.
Friedland said the majority of his customers purchase safety equipment and keep their guns locked. They are knowledgeable about the law, and keep close tabs on their children during gun use.
"Any sane person would do that, even if it weren't the law," he said.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/loca...Duty_falls_on_parent_who_buys_teen_a_gun.html
