3-year-old shoots self with grandfather's gun in N. Harris County

[Judi Lynn]

3-year-old shoots self with grandfather's gun in N. Harris County
By Dane Schiller | July 5, 2015 | Updated: July 5, 2015 10:00pm

First responders scrambled Sunday to save the life of a 3-year-old boy who apparently shot himself with his grandfather's handgun in Spring.

The boy was rushed by Life Flight helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where his condition was unknown.

The incident, in the 19400 block of Puget Lane, immediately sparked concern about firearms safety in homes.

"The importance of gun safety and child locks always becomes magnified with tragedies such as these," said Deputy Thomas Gilliland with the Harris County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the incident. "We stress the proper storing and locking of weapons away from children and others."

More:
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/3-year-old-shoots-self-with-grandfather-s-gun-in-6367523.php

[Duckhunter935]

1. Great organization here

http://www.projectchildsafe.org/
They have given out millions of gun locks and are available free. Check the state link for locations.

Get a Safety Kit

If you would like a free Project ChildSafe Safety Kit, which includes a cable-style gun lock and safety instructions, click on the map below to find a distribution partner in your state. Be sure to contact the partner to verify that supplies are available.

Law Enforcement Partners: If you need more Safety Kits, please complete the law enforcement request form.

http://www.projectchildsafe.org/safety/get-a-safety-kit


Weapons should be properly secured when the kids are around just like we child proof our home for poisons and electrical outlets.. So do you have any thoughts on this?

[ileus]

2. Guns can only save lives in trained hands.

A 3yo should never be shooting on their own.


Remember always on your person or locked up...safety first.

[erpowers]

3. My Understanding

My understanding of the situation is that the child was put down for a nap in the grandparents master bedroom, but for some reason the grandparents left a handgun on the night stand in the room. I guess the grandparents thought the kid was asleep so the child would never get to the gun. Other than that, I guess they thought the night stand was too tall for the child to get to the gun.

[Duckhunter935]

4. No excuse

Always child proof the house and secure the firearms.

[erpowers]

5. Not Making Excuses

I was not trying to defend the grandparents. I was just trying to explain what happened. It seemed the poster thought the child was allowed to attempt to shoot the gun. I wanted the poster to know that the gun had been left on a night stand as the child slept.

Also, I do mean to be defense in this post; I just wanted to explain my post. I do agree with you that guns should be secure when inside the home. When I first heard the story last night I wondered who leaves a loaded handgun on a nightstand with a 3 year old child in the room.

[Duckhunter935]

6. I know, not directed at you

Sorry if it was misinterpreted

[erpowers]

8. Sorry If I Misinterpreted the Post n/t

[Duckhunter935]

9. It happens

I am not the most clear in my posts at times.

[Duckhunter935]

7. I agree with that last part

What are people thinking?

[stone space]

10. I wonder how much effort the gun manufacturer put into...

...making sure that the gun was child-resistant?

The child-proof safety mechanisms on the gun seem to have malfunctioned.

I wonder if this is a design error.

A lawsuit seems in order here.

[Duckhunter935]

11. Most if not all

Hand guns come from the manufacturer with a cable lock just for that purpose. At least in the last several years. I know my Rugar and Colt did.

As of now there is no law on childproofimg firearms, so on what legal basis would you sue the manufacturer?

[Eleanors38]

12. Fortunately, there are fewer and fewer of these tragic incidents...

The National Safety Council in its last reporting figure identified 62 child (below 15 yoa) deaths due to gun accidents.

That's in ONE YEAR.

The NSF has noted for years that this accidental death category has been dropping faster then other indices of accidental deaths.