Umm, no I didn't miss your point. I understand that if you take away the shooter, the gun won't fire. And if you take away the gun, the kid won't shoot anyone.
I've seen some f*cked up kids go through their f*cked up childhoods without killing anyone. But I guess I missed the point. Yes, proper parenting is involved, but I don't see "firearm instruction" as one of my objectives to parenting. The father is indeed an idiot for purchasing a hunting rifle for a child who doesn't even understand the value of life. Don't go on telling me that an 11 or 12 year old should understand empathy and such things.
I don't think the kid will do major time in prison or anything like that ... I don't like that he's being tried as an adult because there's so much more to learn at that age and beyond. But I do think the kid should be punished rather hard.