HOUSTON – Two Harris County children were killed in separate accidental shootings in the span of four days.
On Friday, a 12-year-old boy was killed after investigators say his uncle pointed a shotgun in his direction that he thought was unloaded.
Three days later, an 8-year-old was shot and killed by his 10-year-old brother, according to investigators. Deputies said the gun was not secured nor locked.
“Unfortunately, 350 children are killed by unintentional shootings every year,” said Diana Galindo, a mother of one.
Galindo is also a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Mom’s Demand Action For Gun Sense.
“It is absolutely heartbreaking,” Galindo said. “It doesn’t matter how many times this happens, it breaks our hearts every single time.”
Galindo said parents need to make sure if they have guns that they are secure, that they model responsible behaviors around guns, and ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes. She said gun owners can learn a lot about proper gun storage through the Be Smart campaign.
“The responsibility is on us parents to always make sure if we have a gun in the house it is unloaded and the ammunition is separate, but we do have to talk to our children because guns are everywhere these days,” she added.
On May 2, a 9-year-old fatally shot his 4-year-old sibling in the head with his uncle’s gun near Katy. The uncle, who had previously taught the 9-year-old how to pull the gun’s slide, was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon.
Constable Alan Rosen with Harris County Pct. 1 said he believes education is a stronger deterrent than jail time.
“Irresponsible storing of firearms and not securing them is a criminal offense, and I just don’t know if putting somebody in jail is going to change that behavior,” the constable said. " I think we do ourselves better by making an investment in educational tools such as PSAs and constantly talking about firearms.”
Rosen said his agency, similar to other law enforcement agencies, offers gun safety locks complimentary. You can request one here.