SAN ANTONIO, TX – A devastating incident unfolded outside the Audie L. Murphy VA Medical Center when a toddler inadvertently fired a loaded firearm found in a parked SUV, resulting in the fatal shooting of a baby. Authorities reported that the tragic event saw the presence of a woman accompanied by a three-year-old, a two-year-old, and the infant victim, who was approximately 10 to 11 months old.
Police Chief William McManus confirmed that no charges have been filed yet and the ownership of the firearm remains unclear. The incident is part of a disturbing trend of accidental shootings among children, with many of these tragic cases entirely preventable due to improper gun storage.
A study released in 2023 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that hundreds of young children in the U.S. have lost their lives over the past two decades in gun-related accidents, often involving unlocked and loaded firearms.
The CDC’s data reveals that unintentional firearm deaths accounted for about a quarter of all firearm deaths in children under the age of ten during this period. These incidents predominantly occur in domestic settings and typically involve handguns, posing a continuous risk to child safety.
Texas, in particular, has seen a significant number of unintentional shootings by children, with at least 36 occurrences in 2023, according to statistics from Everytown. Out of these, 14 resulted in fatalities. The year marked a grim milestone with 411 incidents nationwide leading to 158 deaths and 269 injuries.
Despite federal regulations barring individuals under 18 from handgun ownership, loopholes in state laws regarding firearm storage persist. In Texas, while there are some guidelines about not leaving firearms accessible to children, there is no explicit mandate on how guns should be stored securely.
The incident has reignited the call for stricter gun storage laws to protect children from such preventable tragedies. As communities grapple with the aftermath, advocacy for legislative action continues to grow, aiming to prevent similar events in the future.