4yo boy shoots gun enthusiast mom in the back

RT
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 15:31 UTC

Florida investigators are trying to figure out how a four-year-old boy got a hold of his mother's loaded gun and shot her. The mother heavily promoted gun ownership on Facebook and had previously posted about her son getting "jacked up" to go shooting.

Jamie Gilt was driving down State Road 20 to pick up a new pony on March 8 when she was shot in the back by her son sitting in the backseat, forcing her vehicle and a hitched horse trailer to stop in the middle of the traveling lanes, according to officials, WJAX reported.

Not only is Gilt a fan of horseback riding, she has not hesitated to show her enthusiasm for gun culture. The 31-year-old mom from Jacksonville once wrote on Facebook, "Even my 4 year old gets jacked up to target shoot with the .22."

Both her personal Facebook account and a public page she set up, "Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense," have been deactivated.

Police had the toddler's mother rushed to UF Health hospital in Gainesville, where she was reported in stable condition after taking a shot from a .45 caliber handgun.

How the child managed to gain access to the gun is a matter of investigation, but no charges have been filed yet. The mother will be interviewed before any next steps are considered.

"This is definitely not a criminal event. This is an accidental shooting," Capt. Joseph Wells of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office told reporters.

It is a misdemeanor in Florida to keep or misplace a firearm where a child can have easy access.

Comment: You would think someone who is promoting guns the way she was would not be so careless.

Reader Comments

Jean Michel · 2016-03-10T17:45:51Z

Regarding the editors comment, you would think so but it seems that those who are most vocal about gun rights are also those that are most cavalier about gun safety.

Cousin Scootie · 2016-03-10T17:59:01Z

"Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense" should be changed to "Jamie Gilt for Common Sense Gun Ownership"

When to recognize you're getting a gun for psychological balm instead of responding to a real need.

Folk get handguns thinking it'll make 'em feel more at ease in a crazy world and it very well might. Then they become desensitized, mistaking it for competence, and then they get sloppy.

Next thing you're coming to a halt in the traveling lane, the cab filled with the smell of propellant, ears ringing, kid in the back is screaming, blood draining down into your pants from a crush hole big enough to fit a piece of rebar, hyperventilating wondering if you're about to croak. What was the need again? Would she have been so careless with a crossbow pistol in her purse? No - you would see the thing is dangerous just looking at it - stored energy waiting to cut loose. And what good was it in a purse in the backseat anyway - useless in a carjacking and easier for a crook to get it as a bonus in a purse snatching.

I wonder if it was one with a flashy red or powder blue frame, equipped only with a drop safety and a trigger guard - deadly toys for folk that don't fully understand the depth of responsibility they are agreeing to shoulder, but no shortage of people telling them it's not only their right, but a darn good idea as well, the more the better...

I actually support the 2nd as I understand it, but also feel the fewer people who elect to "exercise" it the better it would be for society. Think for yourself.