Pro-Gun Mom Shot By Son Must Take Gun Safety Class

PUTNAM COUNTY, FL — The pro-gun Florida mom who was accidentally shot in the back by her 4-year-old son in March will not face criminal charges in the case, but she has been ordered to take a gun safety class as part of a deferred prosecution agreement struck earlier this week.

Putnam County Assistant State Attorney Kenneth Janesk II inked the deal Thursday that essentially enables Jamie Lynn Gilt to avoid prosecution in the case. Gilt made international headlines when news of the shooting broke. She was the founder of the now-defunct Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense Facebook community. That page staunchly advocated for gun-owners’ rights.

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Before the shooting, Gilt posted extensively on her Facebook page about 2nd Amendment rights and also wrote about her son's shooting abilities. Some of her posts included links to gun rights articles and memes related to the topic.

"My right to protect my child with my gun trumps your fear of my gun," read one of the memes, posted on Feb. 13.

The page came down shortly after Gilt was shot in the back by her son on March 8.

Under the deal Gilt struck with prosecutors, she’s required to complete a gun safety course within 90 days. She must also show the state proof of a “new mounted holster, demonstrating safe storage of a firearm in the vehicle” court documents say. The state also wants proof that guns are stored safety within the Gilt home, according to court documents.

Gilt’s story will also serve as a cautionary tale, court documents show. She has been ordered to give 10 speeches related to the incident “and the need to safely secure firearms.”

If she meets the state’s requirements within the 90 days, Gilt will not face prosecution on an unsafe storage of a firearm charge.

The shooting that led to the charge occurred around 3 p.m. March 8, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. She and her son were traveling from Jacksonville to a home in Putnam County to pick up a horse when the shooting occurred, a statement from the sheriff’s office said. Gilt was waiting for a break in traffic to make a U-turn when “she felt something strike her in the back, then noticed the windshield of her truck was broken. Seconds later, Jamie began to bleed from her chest.”

Shortly after the shooting, Gilt was able to flag down Deputy Wayne Jones.

“Deputy Jones made sure Gilt’s son was not injured, secured the handgun which he found in the rear floorboard, called for assistance and began rendering aid to Gilt until EMS arrived,” the statement said.

Gilt was hospitalized following the shooting and an investigation into just how the 4-year-old got his hands on the gun kicked off. That investigation showed the “Jamie placed the gun, which was not in a holster, under the front seat of the truck,” the statement said. “Sometime during her drive, the gun apparently slid back to the rear floorboard, below where her 4-year-old son was seated in a booster seat.”

Family members told deputies the boy had recently learned to unbuckle himself from the booster seat. “Investigators discovered the child removed himself from the seat, presumably to grab a toy from the floorboard, saw the gun, picked it up and accidentally fired through the rear of the driver seat, striking Jamie.”

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office recommended Gilt be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor in mid-March. She could face up to 180 days in jail should the delayed prosecution deal fall through.

Photos from the Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense Facebook page