More than 2,000 children, just 12 years old or younger, have gotten hold of a gun and accidentally shot themselves or another child in the last 10 years, according to data compiled by 25 Investigates and our sister stations.
25 Investigates analyzed these tragic incidents nationwide, including shootings involving unlocked and loaded guns. The data we compiled provides a window into the potential impact safe-storage laws can have on these devastating cases.
It happens in an instant.
In August, a 3-year-old in Hooksett, New Hampshire, accidentally shot himself after getting his hands on a loaded gun. The little boy survived and is recovering, according to Hooksett police.
Kenneth Larry is now facing criminal charges for allegedly leaving the gun unsecured in his vehicle. Larry is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and negligent storage of a firearm. Police have not reported his exact relationship to the child.
25 Investigates examined news reports, police records and public databases as part of a months-long investigation and identified hundreds of cases nationwide. The count does not include gang violence, hunting or target shooting accidents, suicides, or the thousands of other child shootings involving teens or adults.
For the families, the consequences will last a lifetime.
“I had a lot on my mind as I was driving in the car and I’m just focused on the road, just driving, just moving along, and then I hear noise,” Georgia mother Kailin Lewis said.
Police in Georgia said her 4-year-old died after finding the gun she kept for protection under a seat in her car.
North Carolina mother Paula Layton said it happened when her child found an unsecured gun in his father’s home.
“I mean, He’s three, he’s curious, he thought it was a toy,” Layton said.
Sam Fischer, a researcher at Harvard University’s Chan School of Public Health, tells 25 Investigates he believes these shootings are preventable.
“The vast majority of these incidents happen at home with a handgun when children were playing with it,” Fischer said.
Fischer’s own research has focused on whether there was a racial disparity in the outcomes of these shootings and found there is a significant one.
“Black children are four and a half times more likely than white children to die from unintentional firearm shootings,” Fischer said.
What the numbers show by state
When 25 Investigates examined the numbers by state, some states, including Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Florida, had dozens of cases.
Our investigation identified 162 in Georgia, 163 in Ohio, 124 in North Carolina and 159 in Florida. But in Massachusetts, we could identify only three.
25 Investigates asked Fischer whether there is a correlation between stricter laws and fewer incidents.
“We see that states that have laws like child access prevention laws and states that have fewer firearms tend to have fewer of these injuries as well,” Fischer said.
Massachusetts has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. When it comes to safe storage, any gun that is not in someone’s direct control has to be locked by key or code, regardless of whether a child is present.
Abington Police Chief John Bonney stressed the responsibility that comes with gun ownership.
“It has to be properly stored at all times. And if you don’t store that weapon properly, you lose your right to have a license to carry,” Bonney said.
Bonney told Boston 25 he believes gun ownership must come with responsibility.
“I’m a firm believer in the Second Amendment. I want people who are able to carry a gun to be able to have a gun, but if you’re going to be an irresponsible owner, then I don’t want you to have one,” Bonney said.
Fischer said there are common-sense steps that can help prevent children from getting access to firearms.
“There are many common-sense things that can be done to help prevent these unintentional injuries from happening. And we’ve done this in many other areas with medicines and child-proof lids, with swimming pools and lifeguards, with cars, and we can also do it in homes too,” Fischer said.
Gun dealer emphasizes responsibility and safe storage
Toby Leary, co-owner of Cape Gun Works, said the responsibility ultimately falls on the person who owns the firearm.
“It’s our responsibility as the owner to make sure that people who should not have access to those guns don’t have access,” Leary said.
While Leary thinks Massachusetts gun laws go too far, he supports responsible and safe storage and said the gun industry does, too.
Leary showed 25 Investigates some of the storage options available to customers, ranging from traditional lock-and-key cases to those that can be unlocked using biometric data, such as a fingerprint.
“We have great technology on the market today that...you can stage a weapon if you want in the home for self-defense that gives you quick access, but it limits that unauthorized access,” Leary said.
Massachusetts law also requires licensing and education, including classroom time and some hands-on training. Leary offers both.
As for the recent New Hampshire case, 25 Investigates’ requests to interview Kenneth Larry and his attorney went unanswered. In a written statement provided October 8th, his attorney said, “This tragic accident has attracted significant media attention and online comment. Mr. Larry is eager to share the complete story in due time. For now, we remain grateful that as a first responder, he acted without a moment’s hesitation to provide lifesaving care. In respect to the rules that govern pre-trial publicity in New Hampshire, Mr. Larry must wait for either his day in court or for the State to agree to withdraw the charges against him before he may speak freely. We hope to work in tandem with the Hooksett Police Department to reach an appropriate resolution that addresses the unique nature of this accident.”
Public health advocates like Fischer said having a firearm in a home creates a risk that must be addressed.
“By and large, if you have a firearm in your home, it’s going to create a risk for these injuries to occur,” Fischer said.
Bonney put the consequences of failing to do so in stark terms.
“Once that round comes out of the chamber, you can’t pull it back,” he said.
Additional research for this report was provided by University of Florida journalism students Drew Bank, Ciara Carle, Carlos Corzo, Krystal Felix, Victoria Perez, Genesis Trujillo, Grace Tucceri, Alexis Vivanco and Jessica Wilkinson.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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