Parents, online support group sued for acts of man with AS

A little over a year ago, a 19-year-old with Asperger syndrome named William Freund shot and killed two of his neighbors before killing himself. The young man had expressed his torment before the fact on an online message board, but although moderators eventually realized that he might be truly troubled and not a troll and tried to reach his parents, they did not have enough information to track him down. The obligation of online support groups, gun sellers, and parents to stop people who are homicidally inclined is about to get tested, with the family of Freund's victims bringing a lawsuit against Freund's mother and father, for not controlling him; the store that sold him a rifle, for putting a weapon in the hands of a disturbed person; and that Asperger's support group, WrongPlanet.net, for not warning the victims of Freund's intentions. While it's understandable that the victims' family would seek some restitution for the crime, finding any of these parties liable is problematic. How much control can parents be held responsible for or reasonably exert once their child is legally an adult? Is it possible for an adult with AS, living with his parents, to hide a gun and bad intentions from them? If a gun seller checks a buyer's record and finds it clean, can he or she legally start asking about disabilities and refusing sale on the basis of them? Can online support groups -- which make joining without much identifying information easy both to protect members and to make it simple to get support -- be charged with tracking down each and every potential threat and reporting it to family members or law enforcement? Who do you think should be liable for William Freund's actions? Pick as many options as you agree with from the poll at right, and share your thoughts in the comments.

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