Kids and Accidental Gun Deaths
As our nation grieves and mourns the recent loss of life in the Orlando shooting tragedy, it seems gun deaths – both intentional and unintentional – are in the news more and more frequently. And, many of these gun deaths are children or involve children unintentionally firing an unlocked weapon they have found at home or in a car. One recent example as seen in this MSN story is a family who was awarded $572,588 in a wrongful death lawsuit in which their 6-year-old son was unintentionally shot by a 4-year-old little boy who lived next door. He had found a loaded and unsecured gun under his parent’s bed in his home.
According to this International Business Times article, increased attention is being paid to mass shootings as well as incidents in which children find guns and accidentally shoot themselves or someone else. By the end of 2015, about 265 children under 18 picked up a firearm and shot someone by accident, and 83 of those shootings were fatal, according to research compiled by the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety. Most of the shootings involved toddlers or teens who were playing recklessly with the guns.
Nearly 1.7 million children live in households where guns are stored either loaded or not locked away, according to the San Francisco-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. This makes American children 16 times more likely to be unintentionally killed by a gun, compared with similar countries. Some gun control advocates and gun instructors say more effort needs to be expended by parents to make sure guns are locked up and out of reach, while gun instructors say more needs to be done to train kids about gun safety.
If you or your loved one has been seriously injured in a shooting or other accident, the experienced team at Dixon Law Office can help. We have worked with hundreds of injury victims to help them get the compensation they deserve. Call now to schedule a meeting with a lawyer to discuss the specific facts of your injury case at toll-free at 888-354-9880 or click here to visit our website.