4-Year-Old Shoots 6-Year-Old: Why Did NJ Toddler Have A Rifle?

A 6-year-old died on Tuesday night after he was accidentally shot in the head by his 4-year-old playmate, reported the AP this morning. The accident occurred in a quiet neighborhood in the New Jersey town of Toms River, about 70 miles south of New York City.

The LA Times reported that at a televised news conference on Tuesday, Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said that the parents of the 4-year-old were outside with some neighbors and the two children on Monday evening. The 4-year-old walked into the house and came back out with a loaded .22-caliber rifle, which discharged and struck 6-year-old Brandon Holt where he was sitting in a go-cart about 15 yards away. The two children lived in the neighborhood and were playmates.

The AP spoke to a neighbor who lives a few doors down, Debi Coto, who commented, "I'm sad for the children involved and their families, but I'm angry with whoever owns that gun and allowed a little child to get hold of it. A 4-year-old can't load a gun." Coto added that in the minutes after the shooting, the 4-year-old's mother seemed very upset and appeared to be trying to comprehend what had happened. It remained unclear if the 4-year-old pulled the trigger or if the rifle accidentally discharged.

Police said the parents of the 4-year-old could potentially face charges but added that it was too early to say if any charges would indeed be filed. New Jersey law allows for gun owners to be held liable if a minor gets hold of a loaded firearm. Police Chief Mastronardy called the shooting tragic and said news of it had affected the whole community.

Only days before, a 4-year-old boy in Lebanon, Tennessee picked up a loaded gun at a family cookout and accidentally shot to death the wife of a sheriff's deputy. The sheriff's deputy had been showing his guns to a friend in a bedroom when the toddler entered the room and picked a gun off the bed.

Approximately 600 Americans die in accidental shootings every year, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control statistics, while around 31,000 Americans die of gunshot wounds each year.

Congress will meet on Thursday to decide whether to allow debate and votes on gun control proposals being pushed by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats. Members of both parties have said that a bipartisan deal expanding required federal background checks to gun purchases conducted at gun shows and online was imminent. Currently the background checks are only required when guns are bought through licensed dealers.

Many Republicans and conservative Democrats have indicated that they might block debate on the proposals, which include bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he did not know if he had the 60 votes needed to defeat the conservatives' attempt to block debate.