Utah toddler shot and killed with rifle left in home

The writers of the Kid Shootings blog have been unable to keep up with the number of kid shootings of late. We do refer you to The Gun Report, a regular compiling of actual shooting incidents published several times per week in the New York Times. Unfortunately every one of these reports starts out with the shootings of and by children, some as young as toddlers.

That said, we report today on yet another shooting of a toddler with a loaded gun left around in a home where he could get his hands on it. In Utah, a three year old accidentally shot and killed her two year old brother. From the article:

A 2-year-old Cache County boy died late Friday, hours after his sister shot him.

Authorities said the shooting happened about 6:40 p.m. at a home near 3600 West and 2200 South, in an unincorporated part of the county. The boy’s 3-year-old sister shot him with a .22-caliber rifle that had been left in the living room, the sheriff’s office said.

Cache County sheriff’s Lt. Mike Peterson said the gun had been used earlier in the day by the children’s father, who set it down after returning home. The firearm was unloaded but did have live rounds in the magazine, he said.

"We believe the 3-year-old had to manipulate the action enough to chamber a live round," Peterson said in a news release.

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