Gilbert police responded to a neighborhood near Guadalupe and Lindsay roads after a 5-year-old fired a handgun in the front yard Saturday morning, said Sgt. Jesse Sanger, Gilbert PD spokesman.
The little boy went outside to the front yard of the home located in the 700 East block of Barbarita Street after finding a 9mm handgun and a shotgun from the master bedroom closet, Sanger said. He dropped the shotgun on the ground outside and fired one round from the handgun toward the east.
No one was injured and there was no property damage, Sanger said. Child Protective Services was notified and responded to the scene.
Six children inside the home were being watched by a 27-year-old babysitter; two of them were her own, Sanger said.
The Gilbert Police Department urges adults and parents to talk to their kids about the potential dangers of firearms and firearm safety, as well as to teach their children what they should do if they come across a gun.
“If the decision is made to keep a firearm in the home, it is vital to ensure it remains out of the hands of those who cannot safely possess it,” Sanger said. “It is the firearm owner’s responsibility to ensure their firearm does not fall into the wrong hands.”
The safest way to store a firearm is unloaded in a firearm safe or locker, he said. Other levels of security might include adding a trigger lock and storing ammunition in a separate location.
valleynative posted at 8:07 am on Tue, Mar 19, 2013.
Probably the single best thing the government could do to prevent gun deaths would be to offer a tax incentive for people to buy gun safes. There are relatively inexpensive safes that can prevent a child (or burglar) from accessing your handgun but which still allow you to have it in hand within seconds.
A tax incentive to pay for gun safety classes would be the second best thing they can do.
retired03 posted at 8:20 am on Tue, Mar 19, 2013.
there will always be gun control debate as long as immature, idiotic parents who continue to leave weapons lying about, drink alcohol while handling guns, shoot weapons in the desert without regard of whats in the line of fire etc. THANK GOD this little kid did not get killed or shoot someone. What does it take for people to wake up? Unsecured weapons in the closet in the master bedroom is NOT a safe place away from kids.
mikedurham posted at 9:30 am on Tue, Mar 19, 2013.
Here's a suggestion: Arrest, try, and imprison the gun owner for assault with a deadly weapon. Having a five year old walking around with loaded guns is as bad as finding 20 murdered first graders in a school and increasing guns sales as a solution. Letting a five year old have unsupervised access to loaded firearms should be a first class felony. I'm sure the answer will be that the baby sitter should have been packing a firearm.
valleynative posted at 11:22 am on Tue, Mar 19, 2013.
Mike, when you say things like "I'm sure the answer will be..." you give the impression that you're more interested in finding a fight than in finding a solution. Instead of trying to insult and criticize people with different opinions, try looking for common ground.
You won't find many gun owners who would disagree that the parent who left a loaded weapon where a child could access it should be punished severely.
Slabside posted at 12:01 pm on Tue, Mar 19, 2013.
I'm surprised mikedurham didn't bash the NRA for this.
valleynative posted at 12:40 pm on Tue, Mar 19, 2013.
I'm sure that if you read all the posts about this article around the nation, you'll find dozens that claim that the NRA must be celebrating. People find it easier to imagine people who disagree with them as being completely irrational. It's much more comfortable and mentally easier than having to think about why a perfectly sane and intelligent person could have come to a different conclusion about an important topic.