Researchers James Densley and Jillian Peterson say they have identified three types of parents of mass shooters. The first group is parents dealing with their own struggles and may not recognize that there is an issue. Densley says in some cases the parent is “unaware of what was going on in the life of that child, because they, themselves, were spiraling out of control to some degree.” The second group is parents who knew something was wrong and were concerned, but did not know what to do. “They didn't have access to the networks, or health care, or law enforcement, or people that could really intervene and do something about it,” says Densley. The third group, the researchers say, is parents who may have accelerated or enabled the violence. Densley points to the 2021 Oxford, Michigan, case, where the gunman’s parents were convicted and sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. This was the first time parents were held criminally responsible for a mass school shooting carried out by thei...