It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. Your son is over at a friend’s house and they find an unsecured gun. They start playing with it, and one shoots the other or themselves. Sadly, it’s a reality that affects many families across the United States.
Recent shooting incidents
In Houston, in mid-February, a 5-year-old accidently shot a four-year-old, and fortunately, the four-year-old only had minor injuries. However, many young gun shooting victims are not so lucky. Earlier in February, a three-year-old died in Forth Worth after finding a gun at a relative’s home and playing with it. Many times, in these situations, police don’t file charges because they consider the shootings accidental.
What if your child is injured or worse?
One thing parents may not realize is that a homeowner’s insurance sometimes will cover costs of an accidental shooting. If your child is injured or killed in an accidental shooting, you can sue the homeowner in a personal injury case.
Often, shooting victims face serious injuries. A personal injury attorney can help you recover costs for your child’s pain and suffering, or their untimely death.
How can you ensure your child’s safety?
When your child becomes old enough to go play at a friend’s house unsupervised, you need to talk to them about gun safety to avoid a tragedy. First, you can ask your child’s friend’s parents if they have a weapon and it’s secured. You can ask the parents to please ensure any weapons are in a gun safe and can’t be accessed by children.
Still, you need to teach your child that guns are not toys. You can teach your child to never touch a gun—to instead, insist on finding an adult or finding something else to play with. They need to understand how dangerous guns are because all too often children play with them and an unnecessary tragedy happens.
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