According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, every year, nearly 1,300 children die from guns, and many more are seriously injured. Gun safety is a sensitive topic that has taken shape over the past few years as more and more people are being authorized to carry guns, especially with a house full of children and the elderly. It is one thing to seek authorization for guns if you are in innate danger or live in an area where protection is required at all costs. It is another to keep a loaded gun within easy reach of unsupervised children. The repercussions may sometimes turn out to be irreparable.
People reported a case akin to gun safety via reports of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota, where a 4-year-old child fired a loaded weapon at their 2-year-old sibling over the weekend in what is believed to be an accidental incident. NBC affiliate news station Kare 11 stated via People that deputies were called to the scene just before 10:30 a.m. on Sunday after responding to a call placed from a vehicle in the 1300 block of 130th Ave.
Several outlets that interrogated the individuals and authorities linked to the case report that the weapon was locked and loaded in the back seat of the car when the 4-year-old found it and decided to shoot it at his sibling without a blink. The cause behind the shooting is currently being investigated by the authorities, and the younger sibling survived the shot but was left severely wounded.
People gathered information about the scene of the attack where, before the child was airlifted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, deputies met the motorist near the 1800 block of 120th Street, where they attempted to render aid. MPR News added via People that both the children were seated in the backseat of the car when the incident occurred, which means there was a supervisor present. Martin County Chief Deputy Corey Klanderud confirmed to KARE 11 in a statement that was acquired by People, stating that the person who made the call to the first responders was indeed the parent of the children.
Whether the Martin County Attorney’s Office has filed any criminal charges is unclear at this point, and as of now, no news of the current condition of the injured child has been disclosed to the outlet.
Such charges must be levied on the irresponsible adult who lays the seeds for such problems to sprout. For instance, People reported a case where last month, a toddler shot herself with a handgun that was left unattended by a man, later identified as Orlando Young, as “he momentarily left his gun unattended on the couch because he was excited about a touchdown.”
Gun laws need to be more stringent, such as bleak anomalies in the future.