When it comes to protecting young children from accessing firearms in Missouri, there's room for improvement.
According to a Washington Post article by Christopher Ingraham, Missouri is currently tied for second with Texas for the highest number of toddler shootings since January 2015, with seven shootings apiece.
On April 21, a 2-year-old girl fatally shot and killed herself in Kansas City with her father’s gun while he was sleeping.
Back in January, a 4-year-old girl found her grandmother’s firearm under a couch and shot herself in the thigh. She was transported to a local hospital and has since recovered from her injuries.
“We must do a better job of protecting our most vulnerable, our children,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
Georgia ranks the highest with at least eight toddler shootings.
Washington Post
The report shows that the number of instances when toddlers accidentally shoot themselves or others have increased 27 percent from this time last year. So far, 23 people in the United States have been shot by toddlers in 2016.
Many fear that these stats may be much higher in reality. The pro-gun control group, Everytown for Gun Safety, recorded at least 82 cases this year where a child under the age of 18 accidentally shot someone or themselves.
The Show Me State does have somewhat lenient laws about regulating how guns are stored to prevent children from obtaining firearms.
So how do we keep guns out the hands of children?
According to Project ChildSafe, there are few guidelines to always keep in mind.
- Firearms should always be stored and locked away in a cabinet, safe, gun vault, or storage case. The storage location must be inaccessible to children.
- Consider gun locking devices to render the firearm inoperable.
- Ammunition must be stored in a locked location separate from firearms.
- Double check to ensure that your firearms are unloaded when you take them out of storage.
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