People are getting shot by toddlers in the US weekly this year
People are getting shot by small children every week with 43 instances so far this year.
According to the Washington Post's Christopher Ingraham, "After spending a few hours sifting through news reports, I've found at least 43 instances this year of somebody being shot by a toddler three years or younger. In 31 of those 43 cases, a toddler found a gun and shot himself or herself."
He cited a case in South Carolina where a two-year-old found a gun in a back seat of a car he was riding in and accidentally shot his grandmother.
In Idaho, a two-year-old kid shot her mom in a Walmart store using a gun she found in her purse.
"This type of thing happens from time to time: A little kid finds a gun, fires it, and hurts or kills himself or someone else. These cases rarely bubble up to the national level except when someone, like a parent, ends up dead," the Washington Post said.
Last August, a 21-month-old baby in St. Louis found a loaded gun and shot himself in the torso. He died.
In Michigan, a 3-year-old found a handgun and shot himself in the head.
"The stories go on and on like this: Roughly once a week this year, on average, a small child has found a gun, pointed it at himself or someone else, and pulled the trigger. Boys are disproportionately likely to do this: I could find only three cases where a girl under the age of 4 wounded someone with a gun. In 13 of the 43 total incidents, a child's self-inflicted injuries were fatal," the report said.
It said shootings by toddlers have occurred in 24 states this year with Missouri having the most cases with five. Florida has four while Texas has three.
"But it is worth noting that the shootings don't necessarily follow broader population trends. California, the most populous state in the nation, hasn't had any. Nobody has been shot by a toddler in New England or the Upper Midwest," the report said.
The numbers may be an undercount as "there are likely instances of toddlers shooting people that result in minor injuries and no media coverage."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that dozens of preschoolers are killed in acts of homicide each year.
