JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville toddler is dead after investigators say he accidentally shot himself with a gun inside his Northside home.
Action News Jax dug through Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office data and found this is the 10th child-involved shooting investigated in Jacksonville this year, involving 11 child victims. We also spoke with a firearms safety instructor about how tragedies like this can be prevented.
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Neighbors said, off camera, that the family had just moved into the neighborhood and that they didn’t know them well.
Rod Mills, owner of Scorched Earth Firearms and a former military police officer, says a 2-year-old should never have access to a gun.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is calling this a “100% preventable tragedy.”
Mills showed us several ways gun owners can safely secure firearms, including hard-sided lock boxes and vehicle safes.
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Action News Jax reviewed a list we compiled of every child-involved shooting investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office this year. It shows 10 incidents involving 11 child victims through July 27 — the day this toddler was killed.
Mills says he believes parents are responsible for making sure children can never access unsecured firearms.
Florida law prohibits knowingly leaving a loaded firearm where a child younger than 16 can gain access without permission.
Mills says every new firearm sold in the United States comes with a locking device, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office also gives away free gun locks.
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The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is also reminding parents to teach children: stop, don’t touch, leave the area, and tell an adult if they find a gun.
Detectives are still working to determine exactly how the 2-year-old gained access to the firearm. No arrests have been announced.
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