Just after 6:30 Monday night, police respond to a home on Whitsett Road. Inside a 3-year-old boy grabbed a .32 caliber revolver from his parents' bedroom and shot himself in the arm. Thankfully, he will survive.
However, last month the child involved in an accidental shooting in Goodlettsville didn't fair so well. Andrew Turner, 5, was shot and killed by his sibling. Just moments before the laser on the gun that killed him was being used to entertain a family pet before the boy's father set it down and walked away.
"Oh look how funny this is and then sets the weapon down and walks away and so what do the kids expect?They just think well this is fun! They pick up that weapon and next thing you know there's a tragedy," Captain Gordon Howey said.
Howey oversees Metro's Youth Services Division and is investigating the most recent incident in south Nashville. "I can think of three cases this year that we've had where a child has been able to get a hold of a gun," said Howey. “I can tell you, as strange things happen we’ve had an increase or what appears to be an increase of those accidental shootings, in particular involving very small children.”
Across the state there have been more than 20 accidental shootings, eight of those resulted in the death of a child. Howey believes it all comes down to one thing. "Its very irresponsible adults," he said.
"A firearm can be obtained in just a second by a child," explained Nashville Armory Range Master, Leroy Farris.
"It takes three things to have a firearm action; it takes the firearm, it takes the person, it takes ammunition. If you take away any one of those three things then no one could get shot," Farris explained.
Among the hundreds of guns for sale at the armory, there are also safe guards every gun owner should consider. For instance, a gun safe may cost $50 or more but it's likely money well spent.
In Tennessee, parents are rarely held responsible for a child's accidental shooting death but authorities will prosecute if adults are found to be negligent. The fate of the most recent shooting, however, is still unclear.
"I think it's too early to tell right now but that's always a possibility," Howey said.
The Davidson County District Attorney's office is also reviewing the case in Goodlettsville to determine if that child's parent will be charged.
