Leo Gillick
With around 393.3 million privately owned guns in the US, it’s hardly surprising that a child found a loaded, forgotten firearm in a used car.
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Danielle Harlan had already been driving her car for 11 days when her daughter spotted something underneath the seat. While on their way to the gas station, the child reached under her seat and pulled a firearm that had been left in the used car.
Initially, the mother was shocked. As she pointed out, she was unfamiliar with guns, so she wasn’t actually sure that the weapon was even real. But, not wanting to risk it, she took it from her child and stashed it safely.
“I’m not familiar with guns, so I didn’t know if it was real or not, but it scared me,” the mom told Fox59. “My daughter had a gun in her hand.” She immediately brought the loaded firearm to the police.
They confirmed that it was in fact a semi-automatic pistol loaded with 12 rounds. It could have easily discharged in the child’s hands. The mother and daughter were left shocked by the discovery of the loaded firearm found in her new, but used, car. “My daughter could’ve died, I could’ve died, a random stranger could’ve died,” she told the outlet.
Unknown Owners
Harlan returned to the Toyota dealership to question why there was a gun left in the car she had only just bought. According to the paperwork, Harlan found the previous owner to be suspicious.
The previous owner had bought the car and returned it only a few days later. They had only driven it 35 miles. “Who buys a car, has it for 24 hours, and then is like Nope, never mind,” Harlan questioned. “How do I know it wasn’t used in the commission of a crime?”
Because of the short distance it was driven, the dealership didn’t bother checking it. This is how a firearm was left in the used car. Amazingly, according to the manager, this isn’t the first time this has happened.
They really need to start detailing their returned short-term sales when they get returned.
