Child, 7, Finds Gun In Purse, Shoots 4-Year-Old: Saint Paul Police

SAINT PAUL, MN — Police say a tragic shooting involving a loaded firearm and two children in a Saint Paul home provided a stark reminder for the need to secure firearms as well as education about gun safety in the home. On Tuesday, a 7-year-old child found a loaded handgun in a purse and, after briefly playing with it accidentally a four year-old girl in the leg, according to authorities.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office announced it will review law enforcement reports connected to the incident once they are presented to see if charges are appropriate.

Preventable shootings

While the child was not critically injured, many young children are not so fortunate. Nationwide numerous, preventable shootings in which children have accessed unsecured guns and pulled the trigger, shooting themselves, other children, a parent or family member, take place - often with fatal results.

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Thus far in 2017, over 408 children in the nation under the age of 12 have been killed or injured in accidental shootings. Almost a third of all Midwesterners have both children and a gun in their homes, with nearly 50 percent of gun-owning households leave firearms loaded and unlocked, according to the Pew Research Center.

“The recent incident that involved a four year old being shot by a seven year old sibling in Saint Paul along with other similar incidents across the nation are easily avoided if adults simply secure their firearms with a gunlock and store them in places where they are not accessible to young children,” said Ramsey County Attorney John Choi in a statement.

“These preventable tragedies are not accidents and are all too common throughout or Nation and in our community. That is why we launched a campaign to distribute free gun locks last summer at our community centers and libraries throughout Ramsey County with this simple message: safe gun storage, saves lives.”

Due to a strong community response to a pilot gunlock distribution program in Ramsey County, the primary program sponsors have recommitted to supplying its community-based gun lock distribution sites. Launched in June 2016 through a partnership of the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office along with multiple community partners, the program aims to ensure guns in homes are safely locked and stored away from children, according to a news release.

“Safe, responsible storage of firearms is something that every gun owner should be concerned about. It only takes a minute for tragedy to occur. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office continues to support this program because it provides gun locks to everyone without conditions or cost.”

Now in its second year, this prevention effort is designed to encourage all gun owners to secure their firearms by making it easier for residents to pick up free gun locks from community-based locations. In addition to one Public Health site, the community distribution sites include three Saint Paul Recreation Centers, two Ramsey County Library branches in Shoreview and Roseville, the Hmong American Partnership on St. Paul’s eastside, the Rondo Community Library, Wellstone Center, and the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center.

“Preventing unnecessary injury, illness and death is a fundamental public health goal, whether it’s promoting childhood immunizations, or the use of gun locks,” said Anne E. Barry, Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health Director. “We call on all adults who have firearms to make sure they take the proper steps to safeguard weapons from children who live in or visit their homes.”

Photo credit: AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki