A 5-year-old Utah boy died when he accidentally shot himself with a handgun in a small town south of Salt Lake City on Thursday, police said.

Lt. Mike Wall with the Santaquin Police Department told KSL-TV the boy found a 9 mm handgun in the back room of his house and fired a single shot. The boy’s parents and siblings were inside the home when the shooting happened but were not with him in the room.

  • octopus_ink@lemmy.ml
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    2 months ago

    It’s a real shame there’s literally nothing else to be done to curb gun deaths in this country. Oh well, guess we tried.

     

    /s not needed, I hope.

     

    We’re locking up those parents, right? At the very least we’re locking up the one who was registered to own and safeguard that firearm, right?

    Authorities do not suspect foul play, and investigators are trying to determine how the boy got ahold of the gun.

    If you leave a gun you own unsecured such that a child gets it and kills themselves or others, it should be mandatory jail time. How much investigation is really needed here? Did a 5 year old spin the combination lock on a gun safe? Nope.

    • Hellinabucket@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      I saw people in a thread for a similar case this week arguing that the person who left a gun on a couch with a bunch of kids shouldn’t be held responsible.

      This country is fucked.

      • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        The sad part is that I believe you saw that. People argue the most garbage positions imaginable and they do it boldly and shamelessly online.

      • ramble81@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        Hey come on. Personal responsibility and all that. Don’t you know that republicans think that extends to children. That’s why they want to force them to have kids and get married. “Oh, they can’t consent? Pay no mind to that part. We’ll fix that soon enough”

      • brygphilomena@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I can’t imagine jail time for this, but then I also can’t imagine what it’s like to go through life losing your child and knowing it’s your fault.

        To me, that would be literal hell to live with every day. No amount of jail time would come close to matching that torment.

    • ours@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      A safe or the lock that usually comes for free with most pistols. But no, Fox news says we have to fear imminent “migrant crime” or “antifa” so better to be all loaded up and ready to blast away. Common sense be damned.