‘Anyone That Has a Firearm, It Should Always Be Secured’
Safe storage is important—even when you might think it’s not. A tragic story out of Washington, D.C., makes that clear.
A 15-year-old girl was fatally shot in the southeast section of the District after she and another teenage girl found an unsecured handgun inside the apartment of a family friend. The girls were alone in the apartment when they found the firearm, which one of the girls picked up. It accidentally discharged, hitting and killing the other girl.
As it turns out, the firearm was not legally registered either, so the occupant of the apartment was arrested on firearms-related charges. The teen who handled the gun has not been charged.
According to Interim Police Chief Jeffery W. Carroll, of the Metropolitan Police Department, it’s a critical reminder to all gun owners. “The firearm that was inside a location was not secured, as the young people were able to access it,” Carroll said. “Obviously, anyone that has a firearm, it should always be secured.”