Toddler Dies After Finding Unsecured Gun and Shooting Self: Police
A Michigan toddler has died after finding an unsecured gun and using it on themselves, according to police.
The Howell Police Department (HPD) said officers responded to reports of a shooting at the 1900 block of Oak Squire Lane in the Rolling Oaks area at about 6 p.m. on June 11.
When officers arrived, they found a toddler had been shot. Emergency services took the child to a nearby hospital.
An HPD spokesperson told Newsweek: "It was reported that a 2-and-a-half-year-old child gained access to an unsecured firearm that resulted in an accidental shooting.
"The child was immediately transported by EMS to a local hospital and was later pronounced deceased."
The news release added: "Investigators are currently conducting their investigation and no additional details are available at this time."
No further information about the child was shared by police in the news release sent to Newsweek.
Five children aged between 0 and 11 have died this year in Michigan as a result of gun violence, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings from across the country.
The same database found that 119 children aged between 0 and 11 have died nationwide since January 1 this year.
Safe firearm storage laws have been introduced across the country and have been passed in some states.
Ethan's Law was passed in Connecticut with bipartisan support in 2019 and can lead to a Class-D felony conviction of up to five years in the case of death or injury.
The law states that guns must be safely secured so that a minor under the age of 18, a resident in the home legally ineligible to own a firearm or a resident who poses a risk to themselves or others cannot gain access to a firearm.
The law is named after 15-year-old Ethan Song, from Connecticut, who died in the home of a neighbor whose father had not secured his guns.
Michigan has gun safety requirements that require firearm owners who store guns on a premise to do one or more of the following:
- Store the firearm in a locked container;
- Keep the firearm unloaded and install a locking device, such as a trigger lock, that makes pulling the trigger impossible by anyone other than the owner or an authorized user; or
- In a vehicle, store the firearm in a locked container or keep the firearm unloaded and install a locking device that makes pulling the trigger impossible by anyone other than the owner or an authorized user and lock the vehicle if leaving it unattended.
When a package of gun safety bills was passed earlier this year, Michigan State Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet said: "One in three families with children has at least one gun in the house. I grew up in one of those houses. It's a practical, commonsense step to require safe storage around children. We're saving lives today.
"I'm grateful to all my colleagues in the Legislature who voted for our gun safety package, and appreciate the bipartisan support my bill received in the House."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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