Gore reacts to tragic death of toddler in Cumberland, calls for safe storage legislation
A 4-year-old girl in Cumberland was fatally shot by another child in a tragic accident. This comes just six months after a video of a 4-year-old boy came to light, showing him walking around an apartment complex with a handgun, pointing it at people.
“Yet another family is grieving the tragic loss of a child,” Rep. Mitch Gore (D-Indianapolis), who represents Cumberland, said. “No child should lose their life because of an unsecured gun in the home.
“This devastating incident comes on the heels of a Beech Grove toddler gaining access to a firearm on camera in January, which put the child and those around him in danger. This tragedy brings focus back to the need for common sense safe storage policies to prevent another child from getting hurt. As a proponent of the Second Amendment, a law enforcement officer and the father of a curious toddler, this issue is one of my top priorities as an elected official. In my time as a state legislator, I have authored numerous pieces of legislation to enact firearm storage standards that would keep guns out of the hands of children. All have failed to pass the General Assembly. The need for these policies has never been greater, and I plan to focus on this issue in the upcoming legislative session.
“Safe storage requirements are simple, common-sense policies that will save lives. Not one more child should have to get hurt or killed by a firearm for lawmakers to recognize the gravity of the situation. It is my hope for the future that our community and our state will never have to face this kind of tragedy again.”
In April, Gore voted for a now-enacted law that will send educational safe storage information home with every child at most Indiana schools. The Indiana Department of Education must identify and develop a set of best practice and educational materials regarding recommendations for the safe possession and storage of a firearm in a home with a child. This will include information about firearm access, firearm handling, firearm storage, ammunition access and ammunition storage. These educational materials will be distributed annually to all parents of students enrolled at public, charter and state accredited non-public schools. IDOE must also develop and maintain a public website that contains these materials in them.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office distributes free gun locks at every branch of the Indianapolis Public Library to promote safe storage amidst the lack of legislation in Indiana. For more information on the importance of secure gun storage, please visit Everytown for Gun Safety’s website.