The tragic death of three children by guns in the United States over the weekend has once again sparked debates about the country’s liberal gun control laws.
All the incidents took place within Harris County, Texas.
A 3-year-old boy died on Friday after he shot himself in the neck while playing with a gun at home, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
On Sunday, 4-year-old Codrick McCall, Jr. fatally shot himself with a gun he found at a relative’s house.
The other shooting occurred early on Monday when a 5-year-old boy shot and killed his 6-year-old brother at their house, according to the office.
“I have no idea how he got it, where it was at,” said Thomas Gray, the victim’s uncle. “We have a safe in here, so I have no idea if it was in the safe or if we were walking around with it, set it down somewhere. No idea.”
The victims were identified as 6-year-old Hayden and 5-year-old Ethan.
Gray said his nephews play “cops-and-robbers”-style games and they must have mistaken the real gun as a toy.
In the wake of the tragedies, the Sheriff’s Office began to distribute free gun locks in the county.
“I beg of you, help us to keep from having to respond to tragedy that can be prevented,” said Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia.
“I don’t want another family to even have to fathom going through this terrible experience,” he added.
“If we can prevent one person from being killed or hurt from firearm accidents through the distribution of these free gun locks, then we have met our challenge,” Hickman said.
Every year, more than 30,000 people are shot and killed in the United States. The US averages 87 deaths each day as a function of gun violence, with an average of 183 injured, according to the University of Chicago Crime Lab and the Centers for Disease Control.
Many critics blame the notoriously liberal gun control laws in the US for the country’s high rate of gun violence.
