Darn lucky he was't injured or killed. Maybe it just grazed him. Stupid parent. Maybe gun was just laying on the car seat in plain view due to NC's concealed weapon law. Link

Mother Charged After 10-Year-Old Accidentally Shoots Himself In The Head

September 8, 2017

STATESVILLE, NC — The mother of a 10-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself in the head while playing with a revolver has been charged.

Christina Little, 38, has been charged with Accidental Shooting/Failure To Secure A Firearm To Protect A Minor. According to reports, the child was shot while playing with a revolver he had gotten from his mother’s unlocked vehicle.

Officials say the child was taken to Brenner’s Hospital in Winston-Salem where he was treated and released for a minor gunshot wound to the head.

Deputies say Little kept the revolver in her car for protection, and the child retrieved it when he went out to take care of the family dog. After the gun went off, officials say the child came in and told his older brother that he’d been shot. The 10-year-old initially told deputies that a stranger fired the gun, but later admitted he was playing with it and it went off.

North Carolina law says it is illegal to leave a firearm in a condition that an unsupervised minor can have access. Deputies say the loaded gun was left in an unlocked vehicle in the garage where the child retrieved it.

Little was given a $5,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on October 23.

No sympathy from H&K-Guy. Children must not have such access to a firearm. Throw the book at her.

She needs to spend the rest of her life realizing how this could have gone but didn't.

H&K-Guy

Terribly irresponsible. This is the kind of thing that handgun control advocates pounce on to smear all gun owners.

Yes to the above. Also, if one is planning on pulling the trigger, at least don't point it at your head while doing so.

I could see me that happening to me when I was that age.
seriously !
I have so many angels watching over me , its pathetic.

I got pulled out of the lake three times by people who cared enough to save my ass,
born with a heart defect and the angels found me a doctor who could fix it,

took the wrong pills once and the ended up at a doctors house who knew what was going on and saved my life,

there are more , but you get the gist.

That is just pure laziness on her part and the poor kid was very fortunate. Kids will be curious and as adults, it is our job to be on top of things.

quote:

After the gun went off

So tired of journalistic jargon.

Lucky kid, lazy parent.

quote:

Originally posted by John Steed:
Terribly irresponsible. This is the kind of thing that handgun control advocates pounce on to smear all gun owners.

Yesh, but hey, it was minor...

quote:

...a minor gunshot wound to the head.

Some of you guys are being kind of hard on this woman.

Her kid almost killed himself -- that in and of itself is a significant punishment for her.

And as Mikeyspizza pointed out, the state's "plain sight" laws may have some culpability, too. Would the revolver have been left in the seat if she could've legally had it in her glove compartment, or better yet, secure on her person all the time?

And the kid, he's 10 years old. More than old enough to know better than to point a revolver at his own head and pull the trigger. Yeah, he's a kid and kids do stupid things, but that's Darwin level stupid and, really, he should've known better. I'd fault mom more for not teaching him not to point the gun at anything he didn't want to destroy than for forgetting she left it out in the car.

This is an awful situation, a near tragedy, that is going to scar everybody involved. I don't think it's going to do the woman, the kid, their family, or their community any good to "throw the book" at her.

Lesson learned. Move on.

Yes, stupid on her part, stupid on the kid's part. This illustrates the importance of gun-proofing your kids as opposed to kid-proofing your guns. You may have your guns secured, but your kid may be visiting someone else.

I always emphasize the importance of educating kids. A child of 5 or 6, of average intelligence and demeanor, can be taught basics about guns. I have vivid memories of shooting revolvers, with assistance/close supervision, when I was 5 or 6 years old. I taught my two boys no later than that age. No one will point a gun at a friend or themselves and pull the trigger when they understand how it works.

I always give the example of handing a steak knife to a 6 year old. He won't poke himself in the eye with it or stab himself just to see what happens.

I'm certainly not advocating unfettered access. I am advocating educating kids like they will have unfettered access.

Sorry for the thread drift, but I think it's a good time to make the point. I'm thankful the kid was spared.

quote:

Originally posted by SapperSteel:
Some of you guys are being kind of hard on this woman.

Her kid almost killed himself -- that in and of itself is a significant punishment for her.

Well, I actually agree with you. People love to get on their high horses when stuff like this happens to another person, but stuff happens and people make mistakes. Thank God for this woman's sake and her son's that her mistake likely left her with a lesson she won't soon forget.

You can legally have a loaded firearm in a locked glove compartment in NC!

The "in plain sight" law has nothing to do with this incident!

I'm surprised that he *told* his brother. The way we fought all the time, I'd have *blamed* my brother.

quote:

Originally posted by honestlou:
Yes, stupid on her part, stupid on the kid's part. This illustrates the importance of gun-proofing your kids as opposed to kid-proofing your guns. You may have your guns secured, but your kid may be visiting someone else.

I always emphasize the importance of educating kids. A child of 5 or 6, of average intelligence and demeanor, can be taught basics about guns. I have vivid memories of shooting revolvers, with assistance/close supervision, when I was 5 or 6 years old. I taught my two boys no later than that age. No one will point a gun at a friend or themselves and pull the trigger when they understand how it works.

I always give the example of handing a steak knife to a 6 year old. He won't poke himself in the eye with it or stab himself just to see what happens.

I'm certainly not advocating unfettered access. I am advocating educating kids like they will have unfettered access.

Sorry for the thread drift, but I think it's a good time to make the point. I'm thankful the kid was spared.

+1000

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:

quote:

Originally posted by honestlou:
Yes, stupid on her part, stupid on the kid's part. This illustrates the importance of gun-proofing your kids as opposed to kid-proofing your guns. You may have your guns secured, but your kid may be visiting someone else.

I always emphasize the importance of educating kids. A child of 5 or 6, of average intelligence and demeanor, can be taught basics about guns. I have vivid memories of shooting revolvers, with assistance/close supervision, when I was 5 or 6 years old. I taught my two boys no later than that age. No one will point a gun at a friend or themselves and pull the trigger when they understand how it works.

I always give the example of handing a steak knife to a 6 year old. He won't poke himself in the eye with it or stab himself just to see what happens.

I'm certainly not advocating unfettered access. I am advocating educating kids like they will have unfettered access.

Sorry for the thread drift, but I think it's a good time to make the point. I'm thankful the kid was spared.

+1000

Yep, I agree with this too. At ten the boy should know how to handle a gun.

quote:

Originally posted by honestlou:
This illustrates the importance of gun-proofing your kids as opposed to kid-proofing your guns.

This was dad's approach. We knew that all of his rifles and shotguns were behind the door in his closet and his revolver was in his nightstand drawer...loaded. We also knew that if we touched any of them, we wouldn't be able to sit down for a week.

It worked.