NEW YORK, N.Y. – The New York chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the following statement in response to Monday’s reported unintentional shooting in Yonkers in which a 4-year-old girl shot and injured herself after finding a semi-automatic handgun in her family’s apartment.
Everytown and Moms Demand Action recently launched the #NotAnAccident Index and interactive map, a first-of-its-kind tracking of unintentional shootings by children 17 or under across the United States. The index reveals New York has suffered at least 4 unintentional shootings involving children, resulting in four injuries in 2015—including shootings in Yonkers and Brooklyn.
Nationally the #NotAnAccident Index indicates that since January 1, 2015, there have been at least 101 unintentional shootings involving children, resulting in 72 injuries and 31 deaths—that’s an average of one unintentional child shooting in America every 36 hours. The index is based on media coverage and police reports of instances where a child 17 years or younger unintentionally fired a gun and harmed either him or herself or another person.
While playing with his parents’ .22-caliber rifle, a nine-year-old boy unintentionally shot and injured a 14-year-old girl in the shoulder. The girl was treated at an area hospital and released later that night.
While playing around with a handgun, a 15-year-old boy unintentionally shot himself in the chest. A friend of the victim initially told police the teen was the victim of a botched robbery, but police later found unspecified evidence that the teen had shot himself.
Two 17-year-old girls were playing with a handgun when it discharged, hitting one. The victim was treated at a local hospital and released. The other girl, Omaiah Thompson, was arrested and charged with felony assault and weapon possession.
Four-year-old Makayla Manners shot herself in the face with a semi-automatic handgun she found in her family’s apartment. She was taken to an area hospital, and as of May 27 remained in critical but responsive condition. Police did not immediately announce the origin of the gun or file charges.