I wouldn't say I am excusing Bouknight at all. I believe he should have mandated rehab, hefty fines, and possibly even jail time if the gun ends up being illegally owned. I would say it's fairly obvious that Bouk is being effected by addiction, mental health, and his tough upbringing.
You don't help someone be a productive member of society if you say "you're a bad seed" and then assume they will never function as a normal human. You help them when you talk about where there bad habits come from, how to change our habits and environment, how to make better decisions in the moment, how to seek help, etc.
Like I've said a million times. I've got 3 brothers and a sister-in-law who are felons. My SIL murdered someone when she was high on meth. She's well aware that what she did is unforgivable. But when her time in prison was up, she had to go back into the real world. If all she has been told for her 7 years in prison was "you're a bad seed"... she's just going to break the law again and be right back in a cell after hurting someone else.
Instead, she got extensive therapy, got clean, moved out of the trailer park, and was able to get an accounting degree in lockup.
I don't expect anyone to forgive her. Shoot, I don't forgive her for what she put my wife through. But she needs to be a productive member of society and saying "you're just a bad egg" isn't a helpful conversation in the least.