An Australian man was shot in Oklahoma by 'bored' teenagers

How to use this blog: First, please review the vocabulary list and understand the meanings of the words.  Then, please read the article provided.  Refer back to the vocabulary list if you do not remember the meanings of some words.

By reviewing the vocabulary words over and over, they will begin to 'stick' in your memory and you will be able to use them when you speak. 
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Every American citizen has the right to own a gun.  This is a right granted (given) to US citizens in the US Constitution (the basic law of the USA).

This is one of the reasons why some foreigners are afraid to come to the USA - they perceive (feel, sense) that guns are everywhere.

Indeed, I do not know how three teenagers in Oklahoma (a US state in the mid-western part of the country) were able to get a gun, but they did.  They then decided to shoot and kill a person because they were bored. 

The article:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/teenagers-allegedly-murder-college-baseball-player-boredom-article-1.1431445

Vocabulary to help you understand the article:

charged with murdering - they were accused of murdering the man, to be charged means that the police have arrested a person and they are claiming that the person committed a specific crime.

an accessory to murder - someone who helps someone else commit a murder

prosecutors filed charges - a prosecutor is a lawyer for the state; to file charges means to officially bring those charges against people the prosecutor feels to be guilty. The person or people accused are then given a trial in a courtroom.

randomly - without any reasoning, by chance; if you choose someone randomly you just choose without thinking.

to target s/o - to pick out, to select someone

to jog - to run for exercise

the well-to-do north side - if an area is a well-to-do area, it is an area for people who have a lot of money

the gritty part of town - the part of town where life is difficult; gritty means dirty or tough

1st degree murder - the worst form of murder

ordered held without bond - they will be kept in jail until their trial; they cannot pay money to live at home before their trial.

an accessory after the fact - he helped after the crime was committed

the trigger - the part of the gun you pull with your finger to shoot the gun

his bond was set at $1M - if he can pay a huge amount of money, he can stay out of jail until the trial.

a motive - why someone does something

to mourn - to feel grief after the death of someone

a pastime - a hobby, a leisure activity

a streetside memorial - a place to remember the murdered Australian, probably on the street where he was killed

impromptu - if something is impromptu, it happens suddenly, without much planning

to adorn - this often means to decorate, but in this case it means these objects were placed at the spot

a tourism boycott - this politician wants Australians to stay away from the USA.

his remains - his dead body, his corpse

condolences - expressions of sadness

a Mass - a religious service

to force its Congress - this Australian politician wants people to stay away from the USA so that the US Congress (which makes laws in the USA) will try to pass laws making it harder for people to get and use guns.

bitter harvest and legacy of the NRA - the NRA is the National Rifle Association. They are a powerful organization which opposes gun control laws.  Basically the Australian politician is saying that what happened in Oklahoma was the result of the NRA's actions.

a callous attitude - an insensitive attitude; an "I don't care" attitude

cement - this is the material that sidewalks are made of.

perched on the roof - placed on the roof

foil - material that you wrap food in to keep it fresh

tending to Lane - trying to help Lane

obscene language - dirty language, curse words


Discussion/writing:

1. Do you think that foreigners should stay away from the USA until the Congress does something about gun control?

2. These murderers are very young.  Should any mercy or compassion be shown toward them?

3.  Should these young men be tried as adults or as minors?

4.  Do you think US citizens should have a right to own guns?