I’m not sure the family is blameless. They knew they were dealing with a mentally disturbed individual. They should’ve pressed charges when he threatened the other boy. That at least would set up a record of violence & possibly removed his opportunity to purchase a weapon (legally, anyway.)
And yes, I am speaking from experience. I have a family member diagnosed as schizophrenic. He often had episodes of uncontrolled rage & the family finally had to have him arrested & committed. That was when they actually still had asylums for the mentally ill. Yes, many years ago.
We can certainly blame the ACLU for their actions to remove that as a possibility, but there should still be a mechanism for arresting someone with a history of mental illness for observation, & then a court hearing to find them insane & remove any weapons they might have.
Allowing these people to walk among us when those closest to them know what they are is just ridiculous.
It is practically (in the lmost literal sense) impossible to have someone involuntarily committed. Florida’s Baker act is 72 hours max. I know many adoptive parents who have dealt with similar children and the state(s) treat them like criminals. Short of a felony (and often in that case), no matter what a minor threatens or does, no state or local agency will force anyone into a mandatory confinement.
Though everyone involved knows they are dangerous, nothing will happen until they commit a felony. Parents are often threatened and bullied by SJWs, courts and LEOs because they “can’t handle their child.”
I was told by a FL deputy that it was okay to physically assault a child if they were dangerous, but he would also be happy to arrest me if I did. I have seen therapists, counselors and other “social” workers refuse to honestly report numerous assaults and other crimes because they didn’t want to see a child “stigmatized.” I have seen children forced home from programs because they were too dangerous and scared other residents.
There is an Alphabet Soup of disorders and diagnoses, any one of which is a get-out-of-jail-free card. They just need medication or therapy and people who support them. These are the same people who advocate mutilating children because they are confused about their sex. These are the same folks who push boys to take psychotropic medications because they can’t sit quietly in a class kroon for 8 hours of indoctrination.
Parents cannot get respite or recourse from the states and most burn out. It’s easy to armchair quarterback and question motives, but unless you’ve lived it, you really have no idea. It’s an unending nightmare. I constantly counsel parents to press charges against minors because It’s the only way to maintain a record that won’t be dismissed. Therapy sessions aren’t admissible, and recollections aren’t reliable. Most of these parents become either prisoners or prison guards in their own home. They live in constant fear of both the children and the state.
Civil law is not based on legislative action; it is premised on the expert opinion of judges and social workers. The civil “justice” system is designed as an adversarial model. It’s predicated on parents being bad actors and children being victims. It totally breaks down when it’s the child who is the antagonist.