After police caution, father gave suspected Georgia school shooter AR-15 for Christmas, per sources

RACE COMING UP IN A BIT, INCLUDING THAT DEBATE NOW JUST FOUR DAYS AGO. >>> WE WANT TO TURN TO SOME NEW DEVELOPMENTS SURROUNDING WEDNESDAY'S DEADLY SHOOTING AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN GEORGIA. AUTHORITIES HAVE NOW ARRESTED THE FATHER OF THE 14-YEAR-OLD SUSPECT. COLIN GRAY WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY YESTERDAY. HE FACES CHARGES OF SECOND DEGREE MURDER, INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER, AND CRUELTY TO CHILDREN. POLICE DID NOT OFFER MANY DETAILS, OTHER THAN TO SAY GRAY'S CHARGES ARE, QUOTE, DIRECTLY CONNECTED WITH THE ACTIONS OF HIS SON AND ALLOWING HIM TO POSSESS A WEAPON. TWO LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCES TELL NBC NEWS GRAY BOUGHT HIS SON AN AR-15 RIFLE AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT LAST YEAR. THEY DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN IT WAS GIVEN TO HIM, BUT AROUND THE HOLIDAYS. SOURCES SAY IT WAS AFTER POLICE INTERVIEWED THE TEEN LAST YEAR ABOUT THOSE ONLINE THREATS. THE TEEN HAD DENIED MAKING THOSE THREATS, AND NO ARREST WAS MADE. GRAY'S SON IS ACCUSED OF SHOOTING AND KILLING FOUR PEOPLE AT APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL WEDNESDAY. HE FACES FOUR COUNTS OF FELONY MURDER AND IS SET TO APPEAR IN COURT LATER THIS MORNING. TWO SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS SAY THEY HAVE DISCOVERED EVIDENCE OF THE SUSPECT'S INTEREST IN MASS SHOOTINGS, PARTICULARLY IN THE 2018 ATTACK ON THE HIGH SCHOOL IN PARKLAND, FLORIDA. MIKA, WE SAT HERE YESTERDAY AND WONDERED HOW A 14-YEAR-OLD CAN GET HIS HANDS ON THE GUN. THE FATHER HAD SAID PREVIOUSLY WHEN THE FBI VISITED THE FAMILY ABOUT THESE ONLINE THREATS, HE HAS HUNTING WEAPONS IN HIS HOME BUT THEY ARE LOCKED UP. HIS SON DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THEM. MY GOSH, JOE AND MIKA, AFTER THE THREATS WERE MADE, ALLEGEDLY, HE BOUGHT HIS SON, 13 OR 14 YEARS OLD AT CHRISTMASTIME, AN AR-15 STYLE RIFLE FOR CHRISTMAS LAST YEAR. >> I -- >> IT IS BEYOND SHOCKING. KATTY KAY, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THIS, OBVIOUSLY. IN THIS CASE, THIS SEEMS TO BE -- WHAT I SAY WE'RE STARTING TO SEE IS THE ARRESTING OF PARENTS. >> YEAH. >> AND IT'S ABOUT TIME. YOU HAVE A 14-YEAR-OLD CHILD WHO IS -- OBVIOUSLY HAS GREAT MENTAL CHALLENGES. THE COPS ARE CALLING HIM EVIL. HIS AUNT OR OTHER RELATIVES SAY THIS IS A BOY WHO WAS BASICALLY LET DOWN BY HIS PARENTS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. AND, SOMEHOW, THE FATHER BUYS THIS BOY AN AR-STYLE WEAPON, AFTER HE TELLS POLICE HE'S GOING TO KEEP GUNS OUT OF HIS POSSESSION BECAUSE THE THREATS THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN WARNED OF. I MEAN, IT'S VERY CLEAR. I MEAN, VERY CLEAR. HE SHOULD GO TO JAIL. >> YEAH, THE TIMETABLE OF THIS AND THE FACT WE KNOW THE POLICE VISITED THE HOME, SPOKE TO THE FATHER, SPOKE TO THE BOY, AND THEN THE FATHER GAVE THE SON ACCESS TO THIS AR-15, AND ACCESS PRESUMABLY TO OTHER WEAPONS IN THE HOUSE, EVEN THOUGH HE SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO THEM, GIVES A VERY CLEAR TICK-TOCK. MAYBE THIS IS THE DIRECTION AMERICA IS GOING TO GO TO TRY TO CUT DOWN ON THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN THAT WE -- THAT SOCIETY SEEMS TO BE HAPPY WITH HAVING KILLED IN SCHOOLS. BECAUSE, WOW, THERE'S A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FATALISM ABOUT TRYING TO DO ANYTHING ELSE AT THE MOMENT. YOU HEAR IT AGAIN AND AGAIN FROM MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND MEMBERS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND MEMBERS OF THE LOBBY GROUPS THAT WANT TO KEEP FIREARMS IN THE HANDS OF PEOPLE. WELL, WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING. I MEAN, FOR A COUNTRY THAT IS SO COMMITTED TO TRYING TO BREAK BARRIERS AND INTRODUCE NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND DO THE IMPOSSIBLE, WHEN IT COMES TO THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE, THERE IS A, WELL, WE WISH WE COULD, BUT THAT'S LIFE. THAT'S THE LATEST LINE. IT'S JUST A FACT OF LIFE. SO MAYBE THIS IS THE ONLY WAY THE COURTS ARE GOING TO MANAGE TO GET AROUND AN EXTRAORDINARY POLITICAL APATHY WHEN IT COMES TO GUN SHOOTINGS. >> WELL, IT IS A FEAR. IT IS FEAR FROM REPUBLICANS. IF ANYBODY BELIEVES THAT GUN SAFETY LAWS OR GUN CONTROL HAS ALWAYS JUST BEEN PRACTICED OR BOUGHT BY THE RIGHT, YOU KNOW, IN THE '60s, IT WAS FOUGHT BY THE LEFT. THESE THINGS SHIFT BACK AND FORTH. REPUBLICANS NEED TO SHIFT BACK TOWARDS A SANE, A RATIONAL GUN POLICY POSITION. IF THEY DID, CHARLIE SYKES, THEY WOULDN'T LOSE A LOT OF REPUBLICAN VOTERS. AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF REPUBLICANS SUPPORT UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS. AN OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF REPUBLICANS SUPPORT RED FLAG LAWS. AN OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF REPUBLICANS SUPPORT RAISING THE AGE TO 21 FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING IN, BUYING AR-15 STYLE WEAPONS. AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF AMERICANS, I'M SURE, WOULD SUPPORT ENHANCED BACKGROUND CHECKS. MORE COMPLETE BACKGROUND CHECKS. FOR PEOPLE, LET'S SAY, UNDER THE AGE OF 30 THAT ARE GOING OUT TO BUY AR-15s. WE LOOK, AND THERE IS A LINE, A LINE THAT GOES STRAIGHT THROUGH SO MANY OF THESE SHOOTINGS. ONE AFTER ANOTHER AFTER ANOTHER. A DISTURBED YOUNG MAN, USUALLY A DISTURBED YOUNG WHITE MAN, BUYS AN AR-15, AND HE GOES AND SHOOTS UP SCHOOLS OR MOVIE BAPTIST CHURCHES IN TEXAS. GO DOWN THE LIST. SOMETIMES IT IS OLDER DISTURBED PEOPLE WHO SLAUGHTER THOSE ATTENDING A COUNTRY FESTIVAL, MUSIC FESTIVAL IN VEGAS. AGAIN, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I GO TO YOU BECAUSE I KNOW YOU GREW UP AROUND HUNTERS IN WISCONSIN. I GREW UP AROUND HUNTERS IN MISSISSIPPI, ALABAMA, GEORGIA, NORTHWEST FLORIDA. THEY WANT THIS GUN SAFETY LAW, AND THEY'RE CONSERATIVE REPUBLICANS. >> THIS IS AMERICAN CARNAGE. YOU KNOW, DONALD TRUMP IS RUNNING ON MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. WELL, IF YOU'RE AN AMERICAN PARENT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS YOUR GREAT FEAR. THIS IS THE GREAT AMERICAN NIGHTMARE. JOE, THE POINT WE'RE MAKING IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. BECAUSE I THINK THERE IS A REAL DISCONNECT BETWEEN WHAT REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS THINK THEY HAVE TO DO BECAUSE THEY'RE AFRAID OF THE NRA AND WHAT ACTUAL GUN OWNERS FEEL ABOUT ALL OF THIS. BECAUSE YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. YOU KNOW, GUN SAFETY IS NOT A LEFT-WING IDEA. IT IS NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE. PEOPLE WANT, ESPECIALLY HUNTERS, UNDERSTAND HOW CENTRAL IT IS TO TREAT GUNS IN A SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE MANNER. YOU KNOW, WHAT THIS IS GOING TO TAKE AT SOME POINT IS FOR REPUBLICANS TO STAND UP, TURN AROUND, TO THE GUN LOBBY AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M IN FAVOR OF SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING THIS WAY. THEY ARE, IN FACT, GOING TO GO THROUGH SOME OF THE POLICIES YOU JUST MENTIONED. WE'RE NOT GOING TO TURN A BLIND EYE TO THIS. WE'RE NOT GOING TO REGARD THE SHOOTING OF CHILDREN AT SCHOOL AS A FACT OF LIFE, AS JD VANCE SAID YESTERDAY. BUT I HAVE TO SAY, ONE OF THE INCIDENTS THAT REALLY KIND OF BROKE ME ON ALL OF THIS WAS THE MASSACRE OF THE CHILDREN AT SANDY HOOK. AFTER THAT, IF THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO SOBER UP THE COUNTRY, IF THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO TURN THINGS AROUND, WHAT WILL IT TAKE? AND I THINK THAT THIS IS SORT OF THIS HANGING NIGHTMARE. HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO PUT UP WITH THIS? WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, GIVING THIS DEEPLY DISTURBED CHILD AN AR-15 A CHRISTMAS PRESENT, I'M SORRY, YOU KNOW, I HAD AN IMAGE IN MY MIND OF THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN POSING IN FRONT OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE WITH THE WHOLE FAMILY, AND THEY'RE ALL HOLDING WEAPONS OF, YOU KNOW, GUNS AND SEMIAUTOMATIC WEAPONS. >> OF WAR. >> WEAPONS OF WAR. YOU KNOW, THIS FETISHIZING OF THE GUN. AT SOME POINT, THAT NEEDS TO STOP. WE HAVE TO HAVE A STIGMA, THE CELEBRATION OF THIS. REMEMBER THE CONGRESSMEN WEARING THE AR-15 PINS