Every unnecessary gun death in this country is tragic. When it affects children it seems especially devastating, yet it’s commonplace in America.
On Tuesday, a 2-year-old boy got a hold of a gun in the backseat of a car and accidentally shot and killed his mother while she was driving. The gun allegedly belonged to the mother’s boyfriend who was a security guard. He left the gun under the driver’s seat and it slid into the back seat floor where the toddler picked it up. Patrice Price, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene. WISN.com reports:
Price's mother told relatives she was in the front passenger seat when she heard a loud pop from the back seat.
Patrice Price turned to her and said, "Momma, don't let me die."
Another relative told WISN 12 News that Price was aware the gun was in the car. Price's mother warned her daughter about the dangers of driving around with a gun in the car, but Patrice said not to worry because the safety was on, the relative said.
Note: This is the second same type of shooting in a car by a toddler. An earlier incident took place in Texas when “pro-gun” mother, Jaime Gilt, was accidentally shot her 4-year-old son who also found the weapon n the backseat of the car. Gilt had just bragged about her shooting skills the day before.
As for statistics Huffington Post cites:
Accidental shootings — where the victim is often the child who shot the gun — have become frighteningly commonplace.
At least 69 children aged 17 and younger had picked up a gun and accidentally shot someone so far this year, according to data from gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, issued before this latest tragedy. At least 265 kids were responsible for accidental shootings in 2015.
And at least 23 people have been shot by toddlers this year. How does a child grow up knowing he/she killed his own mother? Accident or not, these deaths are preventable and evidence we need stronger gun-safey laws. When will enough truly be enough?
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