#NotAnAccident Index Reveals There Have Been at Least 154 Unintentional Shootings by Children Nationwide This Year, Resulting in 98 Injuries and 59 Deaths
Be SMART Program Lays Out Steps Adults Can Take To Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Children
ST. PAUL – The Minnesota chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today issued the following statement in response to reports that a 4-year-old girl unintentionally shot and injured herself in St. Paul.
Adults can help prevent unintentional shootings and suicides by children by following the steps laid out in Moms Demand Action’s Be SMART Program.
STATEMENT FROM MARIT BROCK, VOLUNTEER CHAPTER LEADER WITH THE MINNESOTA CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA
“As a mother, I was devastated to hear that yet another child was hurt because she was able to access a gun that wasn’t stored responsibly. She and her family are in my thoughts this morning, and I send my best wishes for her recovery.
“Across the country, unintentional shootings by children continue to take a heavy toll on families and communities, and already, we have seen more than 150 of them this year, including two right here in Minnesota. As adults, we have to refuse to see these as mere accidents and instead work together to prevent them, as gun owners and non gun-owners, by practicing responsible storage and making sure our friends and neighbors who own guns know the best ways to keep them out of the hands of children.”