State Rep. pushes for responsible gun ownership in response to accidental shootings involving children
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. - A state lawmaker is urging parents to secure their guns immediately.
The initiative comes on the heels of a 4-year-old’s death after loved ones said she got a hold of an unsecured gun earlier this week.
Wednesday night, State Rep. Jasmine Clark and two police agencies met with parents to talk gun safety amid this disturbing trend.
"Police gave attendees this cable lock for their firearm after completing Wednesday gun safety class, but the officers stressed that there are several options to secure your gun and keep it out of reach for children whose curiosity could end in an unnecessary tragedy.
"These are the types of things that happen all the time, every day, everywhere that are totally avoidable that we can all learn from," SPO Mike Johnson with the Lilburn Police Department explained.
We’ve told you of several tragedies this year involving metro Atlanta kids being killed or injured as a result of unsecured guns.
Just this week, this four-year-old DeKalb County girl died after her mother said she accidentally shot herself.
MOTHER OF CHILD KILLED BY UNSECURED GUN WANTS BROTHER'S CHARGES DROPPED
In Gwinnett County, investigators said a 9-year-old accidentally shot a seven-year-old back in January---while inside a car.
"If a firearm is in the house, always try to keep it unloaded or secured," Cpl. Christian Matos with Gwinnett County Police explained. "It should be kept out of reach, out of sight. Keep ammo and firearm separate."
Those preventable situations are exactly why it was so important for this group of gun owners to attend Clark’s firearm safety class in Stone Mountain.
The event is a partnership with the Gwinnett and Lilburn Police Departments.
"More people need to be careful," gun owner Charlie Puette said. "They need to be more mindful about where they're keeping their guns and how they're securing them and just always think about it because you never know who's going to be around it."
The police departments talked with participants about various ways to secure weapons like using a cable, lock box, safe or trigger lock.
They also recommend not even keeping guns in a home with children.
"Once that tragic accident happens, you can't take it back. You can't put that bullet back in the gun," State Rep. Clark explained.
She went on to say that she wanted to organize this class after constantly seeing news reports of children being shot by those unsecured weapons.
But she also points out to not just pay attention to what's going on inside your own home.
"But also to know what's going on in the homes where you send your children because they can get access to those guns," Clark detailed.
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