An 11-month old child in Plymouth Massachusetts was injured when a gun was accidentally fired near his home. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The boy’s neighbor, a licensed gun owner, accidentally discharged his gun, according to the local police chief.  “He says he was putting a trigger guard on it, he had taken out the magazine, and there must have been still one in the chamber,” the Chief said. “The weapon went off.”  The man’s gun license was revoked and he was charged with discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a residence. 

This is an accident that would have been prevented by a magazine safety disconnect.  Massachusetts regulations require that all new handguns sold have either a magazine safety disconnect or a chamber load indicator, but not both.

Source:

Steve Cooper, “Police: 11-month-old Boy Injured After Gun Accidentally Goes off in Plymouth,” 7 News Boston (March 2, 2020).