A Florida sheriff announced the arrests Friday of two alleged gang members and the hunt for a third suspect in the shooting deaths of three teen companions, while the lawman warned the media not to turn the slayings into a call for more gun control.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said at a press conference that the murders are a result of parents and schools failing to raise the male teenage suspects properly, and their crime spree is not a reflection of any need for stricter gun laws.

“There are individuals out there, including the media, who want to blame the one thing that has no ability, no capacity to commit the crime itself and that’s the gun. These individuals committed the crime,” the sheriff said. “The bad guy is gonna get a gun no matter what law you have put in place. These juveniles shouldn’t even possess a handgun. Well, they did.”

The juveniles involved in the killings, both the victims and the accused killers, were part of a wannabe gang that carried out a series of robberies that teens referred to as “licks.” Sheriff Woods said police arrested two male teenagers in the shooting deaths that took place over the past week and were searching for a third suspect.

He said the suspects knew the three victims: Layla Silvernail, 16, and another 16-year-old female and 17-year-old male who haven’t been identified publicly.

The sheriff said the motive in the gang’s crimes was robbery.

“Basically, in simple terms, there is no honor among thieves,” Sheriff Woods said. “At some point, these three individuals turned on our three victims and murdered them. They fled the scenes but left a lot of evidence in their wake.”

He criticized a society that would let youth get involved in a violent crime spree.

“The fact is society failed here. We do not hold our juveniles accountable; we minimize their actions,” he said. “School districts across the state and across this nation need to stop minimizing the actions of their students. Hold them accountable. That’s where the failure is.”

Sheriff Woods said when he was raising his three sons, “the friggin’ barber had my permission to whip their asses” if they stepped out of line.

He said of the shooting suspects, “They’re [in] gangs because they commit crimes. They took a life without thought. They deserve the full extent of the law.”

• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.