A pair of three-year old children found loaded guns in their homes and accidentally shot themselves today.

In Birmingham, Alabama, a three-year old found a family member’s loaded gun in his home and shot himself in the leg.   He is expected to survive. The report notes that it was the second incident in Jefferson County this week in which a toddler found a gun and used it to shoot himself.  On Tuesday, Kyler Small of Hueytown, Alabama, age 2, used his mother’s gun to shoot and kill himself.

And in Detroit, Michigan, another three-year old took a loaded gun from his mother’s friend’s coat pocket and shot himself in the head. The coat had been left on a living room chair.  The child is in stable condition undergoing treatment at the hospital, and is expected to survive.  The gunowner, Janette Smith, has been charged with negligent or reckless use of a firearm.

Sources:

Carol Robinson, “3-year-old Boy Finds Loaded Gun, Shoots Self at Jefferson County Home,” al.com (January 15 2022).

Dave Bartkowiak, Jr., “Roseville Woman Charged After 3-year-old Boy Shoots Himself at Detroit Home,” Click-on Detroit (January 16, 2022).