#NotAnAccident Index Reveals There Have Been at Least 215 Unintentional Shootings by Children Nationwide This Year, Resulting in 85 Deaths and 134 Injuries
Moms Demand Action’s Be SMART Program Outlines Steps Adults Can Take to Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Children
DEARBORN, Mich. —The Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the following statement after reports that two children were critically injured at a Dearborn daycare when a gun discharged as it was being handled by a third child.
At least 85 people have been killed an 134 more people have been injured in unintentional shootings by someone 17 or younger in 2017, according to Everytown for Gun Safety’s #NotAnAccident index. Adults, gun owners and non-gun owners alike, can help prevent unintentional shootings by children by following the steps laid out in Moms Demand Action’s Be SMART program.
STATEMENT FROM EMILY DURBIN, VOLUNTEER CHAPTER LEADER FOR THE MICHIGAN CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“As adults, we have to do everything in our power to make sure no toddler or daycare ever experiences this kind of nightmare again. Storing guns responsibly – locked and unloaded, with ammunition stored separately – is a critical step that every gun owner can take to protect kids and adults alike from the life-threatening consequences of a curious toddler getting access to a gun. We’re thinking today of each of the families affected by this horrifying shooting.”