3-Year-Old Boy Shoots Himself in Face

3-Year-Old California Boy Shoots Himself in Face With Handgun - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com


RIALTO, Calif. — Police say a 3-year-old Southern California boy is hospitalized in critical condition after shooting himself in the face with a handgun.

Rialto police Sgt. Richard Royce says the boy apparently shot himself with the .22 caliber gun while his 41-year-old grandmother was caring for him.

Royce says the woman is the boy's legal guardian.

Royce says investigators are trying to determine how the boy got hold of the gun but he said the shooting was an accident.

He says the bullet entered the boy's nasal cavity and the child underwent about an hour of surgery after he was taken to a hospital.

Police would not immediately say whether any arrests or criminal charges were planned.

Rialto is a city of nearly 100,000 people in San Bernardino County

Any responsible adult would keep their guns inaccessible to children that young. No different than leaving out a box of matches or a sharp knife or anything else that children have no business fooling with. The kid is lucky to be alive.

Originally Posted by Kelemvor

Any responsible adult would keep their guns inaccessible to children that young. No different than leaving out a box of matches or a sharp knife or anything else that children have no business fooling with. The kid is lucky to be alive.

OK, but how do you balance having the gun inaccessible to the kid, but accessible enough to the adult to grab at a moment's notice to thwart a home intrusion? My kids are small enough that they would be unable to pull back the slide/bolt on any of the guns we would leave handy (in fact, their mother can't pull back the slide or can pull it only with great difficulty on some of the guns), but that situation will not persist forever.

Originally Posted by jimdigriz

OK, but how do you balance having the gun inaccessible to the kid, but accessible enough to the adult to grab at a moment's notice to thwart a home intrusion? My kids are small enough that they would be unable to pull back the slide/bolt on any of the guns we would leave handy (in fact, their mother can't pull back the slide or can pull it only with great difficulty on some of the guns), but that situation will not persist forever.

how about a holster . .

Originally Posted by jimdigriz

OK, but how do you balance having the gun inaccessible to the kid, but accessible enough to the adult to grab at a moment's notice to thwart a home intrusion? My kids are small enough that they would be unable to pull back the slide/bolt on any of the guns we would leave handy (in fact, their mother can't pull back the slide or can pull it only with great difficulty on some of the guns), but that situation will not persist forever.

Kids vary in size, but the first thing that comes to mind is to put it about eye level to me. That's about twice eye level to a 3 year old.

This was the result of negligence, plain and simple. I feel sorry for all involved.

It's almost always a .22, a wheel gun, or an auto with one in the pipe. Our solution is to keep larger calibers with loaded mags in proximity to the gun. I'm with Jim- the decision isn't so much accessibility as choosing a gun that is impossible for a small child to operate.

Originally Posted by Tiny G

how about a holster . .

I've taken to keeping my Kel Tec P32 holstered on me at all times in the house. Anything bigger will be too obtrusive in normal dealings with my kids. However, when the bad guys come, I want to be able (if possible) to reach for a long arm, rather than something as ineffective as a pistol.

Terrible thing to hear.
I agree with Tiny G, A holster is better than leaving it
down where small kidscan get at it.