A two-year old and a three-year old were victims of unintended gun violence today.

In Talbott, Tennessee, a two-year old is in critical condition after finding a loaded gun in his home. Investigators believe the gun went off in the boy’s hands as he was playing with it. “If you’re a gun owner, you got to be responsible,” the local sheriff said. “You’ve got to put your weapons in a safe place to where a two-year-old somehow got in possession of a handgun which is still under investigation.”

And in Yorktown, Virginia, Canaan Fleming, a 22-year old was charged with “shooting into an occupied dwelling, maiming, child abuse and reckless handling of a firearm.”  The shooting injured his three-year old son.  Police were alerted to the incident by the local hospital.

Sources:

Savannah Young, “2-year-old in Critical Condition After Shooting in Jefferson County,” wate.com (March 23, 2022).

Associated Press, “Sheriff’s Office: 3-year-old Boy Shot, Father Faces Charges,” NBC12.com (March 25, 2022).