12-year old Columbus girl unintentionally shot in abdomen by father putting away gun

A 12-year old girl in Columbus, Ohio was at home when her father was attempting to put a trigger lock on his gun.  The gun was loaded.  It discharged, and the bullet hit the girl in the abdomen.

From the article:

“She’ll be just fine,” Columbus Police Captain Todd Thalken said this morning. Thalken gave no further details on the girl’s condition, citing hospital privacy laws.

The captain said the department’s investigation had ruled the Thursday night shooting accidental and the incident was no longer being investigated.

The bullet struck the girl in the right abdomen, striking several organs, and lodged near her spine, according to information released Friday morning by police department.

Though the girl's wounds may heal, it will doubtless be a long time before she is "just fine."  Mental wounds take a lot longer to heal.

While the use of a trigger lock is definitely desired, clearly it does not fully prevent tragedy.  The safest choice is not to have a gun in the home with a child.