A Tennessee House committee has defeated a gun safety bill named after an 8-year-old girl who was fatally shot by an 11-year-old boy after she and her sister refused to let him see their puppies.
Related: Boy Found Guilty In 8-Year-Old Girl's Murder
The measure would have made it a crime for an adult gun owner to recklessly leave a gun accessible to a child under age 13. The Republican-controlled House Civil Justice committee on Tuesday voted 7-2 against the bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Sherry Jones of Nashville.
MaKaylas Law would have held gun owners responsible for leaving loaded gun around children defeated @NC5 pic.twitter.com/L2ZpOmBkrh
— Chris Conte (@NC5_ChrisConte) March 22, 2016
MaKayla Dyer was playing outside her home in White Pine, about 40 miles outside of Knoxville, in October when the boy asked her to go get the puppies. The boy was found guilty of first-degree murder last month for shooting the girl after she refused to get the dogs.
