Jonathan Mendelsohn
In Detroit, Michigan, a 6-year-old boy found an unattended gun out in the open and shot his 1-year-old brother twice this past Wednesday evening. The small child was shot in the cheek and shoulder while in a bouncy chair. Thankfully, the baby survived and is reportedly in stable condition.
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The 6-year-old had full access to the semi-automatic, which was unregistered. The mother of the children was allegedly spending time with a neighbor at the time of the incident, while the father was outside the home fixing a fence. Both children were left unattended when the shooting occurred. An investigation is currently underway, but the parents have not been arrested as of yet. Police are currently obtaining a search warrant for the premises.
Child Shoots Baby Sibling
Charles Fitzgerald, the Detroit Police Department Assistant Chief, spoke about the unfortunate incident at a recent press conference. Fitzgerald said, “Here we are again. Once again, another senseless, preventable, horrible incident. We are very very fortunate the child is still with us.”
Fitzgerald added, “We are here far too often talking about securing your weapons. There are gun locks, there are gun safes, there is the highest shelf you can find in your house. Put the gun up as high as you possibly can.”
This past April, Gretchen Whitmer, the Governor of Michigan, signed various gun violence prevention bills. The bills make it so all individuals purchasing a gun must undergo a background check, and requires all gun owners to have their firearms stored away in a safe place.
In an April press release, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II said, “Every gun death is preventable, yet so many Michiganders, including me, have lost people they love to the senseless tragedy of gun violence. Today, we are taking action on commonsense reforms supported by a majority of Michiganders. Universal background checks and safe storage laws will save lives and help keep families and kids safe at home, in the streets, at school, and at work.”
