US sees more unintentional shootings by children: CBS News
Xinhua | Updated: 2023-06-15 09:15
NEW YORK - A 2-year-old toddler gained access to an unsecured firearm, accidentally got shot and later pronounced dead at a local hospital in the US state of Michigan over the weekend, according to police.
The shooting came just days after a 6-year-old boy shot his baby brother twice in Detroit, Michigan, after getting access to an unattended gun, reported CBS News early this week.
According to the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety, firearms are the leading cause of death for children under age 18 in the United States, with unintentional shootings making up 5 percent of annual gun deaths among children 17 and younger.
From the start of 2015 to the end of 2022, there were at least 2,802 unintentional shootings by children 17 or younger that resulted in 1,083 deaths and 1,815 injuries, according to Everytown.
In April, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill calling for safe storage requirements for guns. The law was passed as more than 110 gun incidents involving children have been recorded in Michigan since 2015.
But since Whitmer signed the storage bill, there have still been several instances of children accessing unsecured guns in the state, the report said.
