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Read comments (9)The juvenile sustained a superficial wound near his right shoulder, deputies said.
According to the report, the juvenile and his brother were playing with the shotgun, which belonged to their mother's boyfriend.
The children apparently found the gun behind the bed in the bedroom, where the mother had attempted to hide it.
The 6-year-old told deputies he was putting the gun down, when he slipped and it went off, the report said.
His mother said she was in the bathtub at the time of the incident, but ran into the bedroom when she heard the noise.
The boyfriend, owner of the residence, told authorities that he had checked the shotgun and was positive that it was not loaded.
Deputies said it did not appear the child was hit by the shot from the gun.
I think that a hunters education course would be very helpful for these kids. My son took the course and it was very helpful and he got a lot out of the course. Kids need to be educated on what a firearm can really do to them and they need to know that a firearm is not a toy.
I'm trying to think of a way to sound less "on my soapbox" about this issue. I am truly thankful that no one was seriously injured. I guess I would offer this--sort of a public service announcement:
I would highly recommend a Hunter's Education Course to anyone who is even remotely interested in owning a firearm. These courses are readily available throughout the year very close to home...Marshall, Slater, Sweet Springs, etc. I say this for a few basic reasons:
These courses are FREE;
The basic types of firearms and the various safeties are covered in depth;
The five major types of "actions" are taught;
The types of ammunition and how they fire are covered;
You get a booklet for your reference showing all of this information;
SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY is taught;
There is a time commitment, usually about four hours in the evening on a Friday and most of the day on a Saturday. Even if you have no interest in hunting, there is enough basic information provided at these courses to set you on the right track. From that point, a qualified firearms instructor can help you determine what is the most practical firearm for you to own for your pleasure, or personal or home protection.
If this course doesn't interest you, any officer of the law can help point you in the right direction. He is a busy man, but Conservation Agent Tom Davison is an excellent source of information.
This just goes to show that kids are getting smarter everyday. Guns should always be locked up. No matter what. Or like Cheetah said trigger locks. These kids could have had much more serious injuries.
Regardless of whether the gun was loaded or unloaded this is gross negligence. If the gun was unloaded then the child had access to the shells and was able load it. However I think it is highly unlikely that a kindergarten child had the know how of loading the shotgun. I would say the shotgun was loaded for home defense purposes. I hate to say it but this is exactly the kind of crap that gives the tree hugging gun haters the ammunition for their "ban guns" rhetoric. No wonder the Supreme Court has gun ban issues on the docket. If as an adult you can't follow the basic gun safety guidelines then take your guns to the pawn shop and trade em in for a baseball bat! You can still use the bat for home defense and plus you can play a fun game of baseball with your six year old without getting them or someone else killed.
Thank God neither child was seriously injured!
Yes I agree he or she are both at fault, and I hope this really hits home.
I just stated that "neglect" was a little harsh. Some of the best parents in the world still over look things and make mistakes. Just my opinion. Not saying what they did was right by any means. :-)
"Neglect" may be a harsh word in this case.......but what if someone had been killed. This could have been prevented so easily. Do you realize this more or less equates to "I was sure I sobered up first, Officer..."?
The kid making the gun go off was an accident. The person who made that gun accessible to a six year old and left it loaded is negligent. Just my opinion.
Accidents do happen. I think neglect is being just a little harsh. I do believe the gun could have been in a better "hiding" place with youngsters in the house.
People do make mistakes and I hope that they ALL learn from this one.
The boyfriend, owner of the residence, told authorities that he had checked the shotgun and was positive that it was not loaded.
Well, it's not any more. So he's kind of right.
Ignorance such as this is why Andy always made Barney keep his bullet in his pocket.
Absolutely senseless. As stated, I own several firearms. There are too many cheap, EFFECTIVE preventative measures on the market for something like this to happen. So cheap in fact, trigger locks are usually given away as free gifts at hunter education courses. This boy is lucky he didn't kill himself or someone else. I would support whole-heartedly charges of neglect and incompetence in this case!!