A 3-year-old boy tragically died Friday night after he found a handgun in the drawer of an end table in a bedroom of his family’s Oregon home.
Update: 3-year-old boy died at hospital following shooting https://t.co/qnQPuluRwn pic.twitter.com/h4XFjHqOE0
— Washington County Sheriff’s Office (@WCSOOregon) October 10, 2020
James Lindquester took the gun out and shot himself in the head. Family members called 911, and the boy was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before midnight. The sheriff’s office is currently investigating.
This is beyond devastating — and also preventable. If more parents kept the guns in their homes locked, several hundred child and adolescent deaths a year could be prevented, according to a recent study. The most secure way to store firearms, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is to store them unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition.
To learn more about the safe storage of guns, check out these recommendations.