On August 20, a Texas jury found Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos—the parents of the shooter involved in the 2018 Santa Fe High School massacre—not liable for negligence in the civil suit brought against them. The ruling stands in contrast to the April 2024 criminal conviction of Jennifer and James Crumbley—parents of the Oxford (Michigan) High School shooter—who were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.

There were differences in the nature of these cases but each offers insight into why the juries ruled in different ways. In the case against Mr. Pagourtzis and Ms. Kosmetatos, prosecutors made a strong argument with regard to how the couple improperly stored the firearms that their son used in the shooting. Still, defense lawyers argued that there was little indication........

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