Child Accidentally Shoots Self
On August 8, 2020, the Kentucky State Police released details on a case of interest that was currently under development. A 2-year-old from Greenup County had accidentally shot itself in the head. After a brief investigation, the police were able to conclude that the child had been able to find and obtain the unsecured weapon and was able to shoot it, which resulted in the injury.
The report stated that the child is currently staying in Cabell Huntington Hospital and is currently in stable condition. The case is currently still open and under investigation by Detective David Boarman.
Unsecured guns in homes with small children can be a huge risk. A report from healthychildren.org claimed that nearly 2 million children in America live in a home with an unprotected and loaded firearm. They also report that in 2019, there were 241 accidental shootings by children, which resulted in more than 100 deaths.
A few ways to drastically reduce the risk of accidental shootings are to keep guns locked away and unloaded in the home. Parents should also ask the parents of children their child may be interacting with if they have a gun in the home and if it is properly secured.
Parents should also instill in their children the potential danger of guns, so the child knows that if they come across a firearm, they should not approach it, and instead find an adult. If precautions like this had been taken, it is very possible that this horrible accident wouldn’t have happened in the first place.
