Disclaimer: This is not an anti-gun post. I own guns. It’s a pro-children and anti-stupidity post, intended to raise awareness.
Every month, a number of very young children accidentally shoot themselves and others. You don’t hear about it, because it rarely gets attention beyond local newspapers, but it’s happening with alarming frequency. At one time, guns were kept locked away, or children were strictly taught to not mess with guns in the home. But now, guns are everyday accessories–often of people who are untrained first-time gun owners–so it’s not surprising that many irresponsible parents leave guns laying around like their wallet or keys. It doesn’t help that many states, like Indiana, require no training whatsoever to own a gun or even carry one around in public (which should scare us all).
When you compile the stories, it becomes obvious that we have a problem on our hands. Here are incidents from just THE PAST THREE MONTHS.
JUNE 2018
Washington. A boy, 13, was playing with a .357 revolver when it fired, killing his 2-year-old brother.
Arizona. Two teen boys, 13 and 14, were “messing around” with a handgun when it discharged, killing the 14-year-old.
Tennessee. A mother was driving with her 13-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter. The boy began handling a handgun, and accidentally killed his sister.
Michigan. A girl, 4, found a loaded handgun in a toy closet and shot herself in the finger, which had to be amputated.
Louisiana. A 2-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the leg after being left alone in a vehicle where a handgun was stored. The father, 24, had stepped out of the car to smoke a cigarette. He said he didn’t think the boy could reach the gun in the console.
Missouri. A man, 21, was sleeping when his 2-year-old niece picked up his loaded firearm and accientally killed herself with a shot to the chest.
Kentucky. A boy, 6, picked up a gun from the kitchen table and took it to his room, where he accidentally shot and killed himself.
Lousiana. As the mother napped on the porch, her 3-year-old picked up a loaded gun and shot himself in the arm.
Tennessee. A boy, 2, shot himself in the head after finding his mother’s handgun atop a dresser. She was in the room folding clothes, and didn’t think he could reach it.
Chicago. A boy, 8, found a 9mm handgun under a mattress and accidentally shot his 5-year-old brother.
Indiana. Two juveniles were playing with a gun when one, age 9, was shot in the finger.
New Orleans. A child was playing with a handgun when it fired, hitting a 7-year-old girl in the neck.
Las Vegas. Three brothers in a car were looking at a handgun, and accidentally fired the gun. All three were hit–one through the hand, the others in the hand and leg.
MAY 2018
Oklahoma. A boy, 15, dropped the magazine from a pistol, aimed it at his 17-year-old brother, and pulled the trigger, killing him. He said he didn’t know there was still a bullet in the chamber.
Ohio. A boy, 7, shot himself in the hand.
Ohio. An 8-year-old boy, after finding a handgun in a kitchen cupboard, pointed the gun at a 9-year-old cousin and shot him in the abdomen.
Virginia. A boy fired his father’s handgun, killing his two-year-old brother.
Virginia. A two-year-old boy died after shooting himself in the head with a .380 handgun while alone in an apartment room.
South Carolina. A young teen brought a handgun into a relative’s home. Another kid pulled the trigger, shooting a cousin in the neck and spine.
Utah. A two-year-old boy died after shooting himself in the head with his father’s handgun.
Louisiana. At a sleepover, a 14-year-old boy pointed a gun at another 14-year-old boy and shot him in the chest. He didn’t think the gun was loaded.
Louisiana. Children were pillow-fighting in an adult’s bedroom when a 9mm handgun fell from the bed. One child picked it up, and it discharged, striking a girl, 10, in the arm.
Virginia. A 4-year-old boy found a handgun in his apartment, fired it, and killed himself.
Minnesota. A 7-year-old boy, arriving home from school with a couple friends, found a loaded handgun in a box and accidentally killed himself.
Mississippi. A 12-year-old died after accidentally shooting himself.
Kansas City. A young boy critically wounded himself with a gun left unattended at home.
APRIL 2018
South Carolina. A boy, 2, took a gun from the car console and shot himself in the leg.
Louisiana. An 2-year-old boy accidentally shot his 8-year-old brother in the arm inside a parked car, using the handgun his father had left there.
Philadelphia. A boy, 4, found his father’s gun on a bed and shot himself in the leg.
Louisiana. Two boys on a porch, one of them twirling a .22 handgun on his finger, when he shot the other boy in the leg.
St. Louis. A 5-year-old boy looking for candy found a gun in a dresser drawer. He took it into the next room and accidentally killed his 7-year-old brother, who was playing videogames.
New Mexico. An 18-year-old shot an 8-year-old boy in the chest. He was playing around with a handgun, and thought the safety was on when he pointed it at the young boy and pulled the trigger.
Florida. A 2-year-old shot himself in the abdomen after getting hold of a gun in his parents’ home.
Indiana. A three-year-old girl found a handgun in their car and accidentally shot her 21-year-old pregnant mother in the upper back. The father was inside a store. A one-year-old boy was also in the car.
