A 2-year-old boy was killed on Wednesday after he found a full-fledged firearm in the backpack of a relative, a tragically common incident in the USA.
The boy suffered a bullet wound to the head and, as of this stage of the investigation, the evidence indicates that he “shot himself by accident”, explained the police of the city of Weiko, in the state of Texas, in a press release that was published.
The owner of the gun, 21 years old, took the gun and left. He eventually returned and was arrested by police, who detained him for “concealing evidence”.
The tragedy was added to the scary series of similar ones.
“Every year in the United States, hundreds of children find full of uninsured guns in lockers, nightstands, backpacks or bags where they left them” and shoot unintentionally as they explore them, a recent report by the NGO Everytown For Gun Safety.
The NGO, which wants stricter control over arms buyers, has been documenting “unintentional fire” by minors and their consequences since 2015. According to her count, such incidents have caused 765 deaths in the last six years – 111 from January 1 until now – and more than 1,500 injuries.
The US Constitution enshrines the right to bear arms, to which most Americans remain committed, although this article is interpreted differently. 30% of adults in the US own at least one gun.
Each year, gunfire kills about 40,000 people in the country, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
