3 year old Arizona boy finds gun and shoots himself

An Arizona toddler found a gun at home and shot himself with it:

A 3-year-old boy is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in the lower torso on Monday afternoon.

Pima County Sheriff's Deputies are continuing to investigate how the toddler got his hands on a loaded weapon in his own home.

Deputies responded to the shooting in the 26000 block of South Monarch Way in Amado just after 12:30 p.m. A helicopter medivacked the toddler to the UAMC Trauma Center.  

"The surgery ended and the 3-year-old child is expected to live and is in stable condition," Deputy Tracy Suitt said.

"This outcome could have been a lot worse," said neighbor Edward Orozco, who was working on his roof at the time of the shooting. (...) 

Most of the neighbors in the rural area of Amado known as Elephant Head own guns, Orozco said. 

"And what do you do to make sure this wouldn't happen to your children?" 9 On Your Side asked Orozco. 

"Everyday I put my gun -- I have a lock -- a safe, I put my gun away," Orozco said.

Keeping guns locked in a safe location is the safety message echoed by the Sheriff's Department.

"We all know that young children are very inquisitive and if they see a weapon they're going to think it is possibly a toy and then there may be an accident like we had today," Suitt said.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.