4-year old gets father's gun and fires it while visiting a Fairbanks pawn shop

A father and his 4-year old son were visiting a pawn shop in Fairbanks, Alaska.  The boy was playing with the 1-year old son of a store employee when somehow the 1-year old got hold of the 4-year old's father's loaded, unsecured .38 Special revolver, then passed it to the 4-year old, who fired a shot.  Luckily, no one was injured.

From the article:

A revolver went off in the hands of a 4-year-old boy who was playing with it Sunday in a South Fairbanks pawn shop, according to Fairbanks police.

The bullet went into the ceiling and no one was hurt, but police are forwarding a misdemeanor reckless endangerment charge against pawn shop employee Jaclyn Johnson, 24, to the district attorney's office.

Fairbanks police received a call at 1:21 p.m. from Alaska Fast Cash on the Old Richardson Highway for a report that a boy had fired a Smith & Wesson .38 Special, said Sgt. Bruce Barnett, who did not personally respond to the call but reviewed the report and spoke with an officer who did.

Police responded and spoke with the father of the boy, who said he was at the store talking to an employee when saw his son playing with Johnson’s 1-year-old son.

It was the younger boy who was first in possession of the gun, Barnett said. He then passed it to the 4-year-old.

The boy’s father told police he then heard a loud bang and saw his son was holding a silver gun.

The gun was Johnson’s personal weapon, Barnett said.

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

(thanks to the "Guns Are Soooo Great!" blog for the head's up on this one)