Tennessee ranks third in U.S. in unintentional shootings by or of children
by: Raven Copeland
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Police said a child is recovering tonight after being shot over the weekend.
Investigators said the juvenile was brought to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in a private vehicle.
At this time, investigators are still searching for a crime scene.
What police know so far is that the child arrived at the hospital after 8 p.m. Saturday night.
They have not said how old the victim is or if the shooting was intentional or unintentional.
They also have not released any information about a potential suspect.
As we work to gather more information from the police, it’s important to note that Tennessee has a troubling statistic when it comes to guns and children.
“Tennessee has the third highest rate of unintentional shootings by or of children in the nation,” said Jessica Jaglois, the Director of Communications for Voices for a Safer Tennessee. “The simplest way to fix this issue is secure storage. Secure storage saves lives.”
Data from the Gun Violence Archive shows 16 shootings involving children have been reported in Shelby County so far this year.
One of those shootings was deadly.
Most of the cases involved teens who were injured by gunfire.
Now, gun safety experts are sounding the alarm about a concerning trend in Tennessee: Unintentional shootings involving children.
“Most gun owners responsibly secure and store their firearms, but all it takes is once and we are human,” Jaglois said. “We forget to do this sometimes, but obviously the safest way to secure your firearms is separately from your ammunition in a safe that only an authorized adult can access.”
In February, Jaglois told WREG that safe gun storage is the best way to prevent these incidents.
Gun safety experts say biometric safes are also an option for safe gun storage.
There are some that require a thumbprint or facial recognition for access.
The Memphis Police Department and the State of Tennessee give away free gun locks. You can pick them up at your local Memphis Police precinct. You can visit this website to get one from the state.
About Post Author
