Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Dog knocks over shotgun, gun discharges, shoots 8-year-old girl

An 8-year-old Gerber, California girl was watching television in her living room with her 7-year-old friend when a shotgun in the dining room discharged. The pellets went through the arm of the couch and struck the girl in her bicep and abdomen, causing major injuries.
According to the police report, the shotgun had been left loaded and propped against a wall with the butt of the gun on a small wicker chair. Because no one else was in the room at the time, police speculate that one of the several dogs in the home bumped the wicker chair, causing the shotgun to fall.
The girl was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and later air-lifter to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment.
Because guns are the only consumer product not regulated by a federal agency for safety standards there is no recall mechanism for a gun that discharges when dropped. Nor is there a federal requirement that guns be manufactured in such a way to avoid this kind of discharge.

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