America's Gun Laws: Toddlers With Weapons Are Shooting One Person A Week

If These Statistics Don't Change America's Gun Laws Nothing Will

At least one toddler under the age of 4 has been responsible for shooting someone at a rate of once a week so far this year in America.

Some 43 incidents involving toddlers using firearms have been reported so far in 2015.

At least 13 of these have seen children inadvertently kill themselves after getting their hands on a gun.

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Click here for a zoomable version of this chart, produced for HuffPost UK by Statista

A further 18 injured themselves, while 10 injured other people.

At least two killed others after firing a weapon.

Remarkably, one case involved a 21-month-old child who killed himself after finding a loaded handgun at home.

In that case, the child fired the handgun into his torso area resulting in fatal wounds. His mother took him to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Some 40 of the 43 cases involved male toddlers, three involved females.

And while the list is relatively diverse geographically, many of the states with most occurrences of shootings are in southern and mid-western states.

Missouri had five incidents, while South Carolina and North Carolina had three apiece.

The law around the secure storage of weapons in America remains inconsistent, with most states lacking specific restrictions.

Storing Weapons Securely In America
There is *some* Federal guidance...(01 of03)
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President Obama enacted an executive order governing the effectiveness of gun locks and safes sold following the Newtown school massacre.

However, there are still no clear Federal standards for gun safety products in the US.

Since October 2005, it has been illegal for registered gun dealers to sell weapons without the providing secure storage at the point of sale. But this doesn't require gun owners to use the storage afterwards.
(credit:michaklootwijk via Getty Images)
But just 11 states have specific laws...(02 of03)
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Just 11 US states have specific laws governing the storage of firearms.

Just one state requires gun owners to keep weapons locked. Massachusetts requires firearms to be securely locked while not being used. But even this requirement does not apply to arms carried by the registered owner.

California, Connecticut and New York states require secure storage sometimes.

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Ohio, New Jersey, Michigan, Maryland and Illinois have less stringent provisions governing the sales of handguns by registered dealers.
(credit:AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
And here's the NRA's advice...(03 of03)
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In a campaign sticker from 2003, the National Rifle Association's cartoon character 'Eddie Eagle' advised children: "Stop! Don't touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult."

'Eddie' has a wing team of characters designed to instill caution in children. The NRA writes on its website: "The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® program is a gun accident prevention program that seeks to help parents, law enforcement, community groups and educators navigate a topic paramount to our children’s safety. Eddie and his Wing Team are on a mission to help you teach Pre-K through 4th graders what to do if they ever come across a gun…"
(credit:NRA)