A 2-year-old North Carolina boy had only been in Georgia a few hours when he found a gun in his mother’s purse, according to police. Inside a DeKalb County hotel room, the boy shot himself in the stomach early Monday, investigators said.
After undergoing emergency surgery, the boy was in critical condition, but expected to survive his injuries, Maj. Steven Fore said. Investigators had not determined late Monday whether criminal charges would be filed in the shooting, which happened shortly after 2 a.m. at Knights Inn on Panola Road, near Lithonia.
“We’re not even going to worry about that right now,” Lt. Mark Lavigne said. “The main thing right now is hopefully the child will be alright. We’ll get our investigation, get all of our evidence and then make that determination.”
Monday's shooting was the second in 10 days in the metro area involving a child handling a gun. On March 11, an 11-year-old Gwinnett County boy, shot and killed himself while playing with a gun inside his family's Norcross home. Police have said charges are not expected to be filed in the death of the boy, Summerour Middle School student Alan Martinez.
Adults are criminally liable in Georgia only when they intentionally or knowingly provide a child access to a handgun. Fourteen states, and the District of Columbia have laws prohibiting negligent storage. Still, most children's deaths and injuries from guns could be prevented, according to advocates for stricter gun control laws.
Valerie Jean-Charles, a spokeswoman with Everytown for Gun Safety, said while mass shootings capture public attention, negligent gun ownership can also be a lethal problem.
“There are currently 2 million American children who are living in homes that have guns that are not stored safely and securely,” Jean-Charles said. “This is preventable. You can separate your firearm from the ammunition. There are ways to deal with this.”
The group keeps an index of shootings and said nationally, there have been 52 child shootings so far this year.
The best way to prevent accidents and misuse is to securely store firearms when they aren’t being used, according to Bill Brassard, spokesman National Shooting Sports Foundation. A secure storage device exists for nearly every home circumstance and budget, he said. People who want quick access to a firearm for home defense can use a fast-opening lock box that provides quick access while deterring access by children and other unauthorized persons. Brassard’s group backs gun rights.
In Monday’s shooting, the boy, whose name was not released, arrived at the hotel Sunday evening with his mother and another adult, according to police. Both adults were interviewed after the shooting, and investigators searched the hotel room and the family’s car, police said. The toddler was rushed to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, where he remained Monday night.
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