Where do the guns come from?

As we said in an earlier post about the Chardon, Ohio school shooting, 65% of guns used by school shooters come from the home of a relative or a friend. Such now appears to be the case with T.J. Lane,   the shooter in Ohio. It looks like a gun went missing from his grandfather's garage.

The gun was noticed as missing after Monday’s shootings and fits the description of the pistol that reportedly was used to kill three students and wound two others at Chardon High School, said Carl Hendersen, a neighbor of the suspect’s grandparents.

The young man suspected of opening fire at an Ohio school had his first court hearing today. Investigators are still searching for a possible motive.

Chardon High School calls 911 to alert authorities of a gunman in their school.

He is a retired police officer and former Geauga County sheriff, as well as a longtime neighbor of the grandparents of suspect T.J. Lane. He said he has spoken to the grandfather, Thomas Lane, about the gun.

The suspect’s grandfather believes the gun is the same, “because the gun was there the day before, in the barn,” said Henderson, 74, who says he’s been friends with the boy’s family for nearly 50 years.

A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said the gun used in the shooting, a Ruger .22-caliber Mark III target pistol, was bought legally in August 2010 from a gun shop in Mentor, Ohio.

And now Lane's grandfather has to live with the fact that allegedly, one of his own guns was used to shoot 5 teens, 3 now dead. His grandson will be tried for murder and spend time in prison. The grandfather, who meant no harm, will spend time in a "prison" of his own. Guns should be safely stored from curious or troubled teens and kids. Shootings of and by kids have a tremendous ripple affect, changing the lives of many. How sad for all concerned.

All guns in the hands of kids and teens must first go pass through the hands of an adult.