By Jeremy Vishno, Attorney, and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Legislators / lawmakers in Connecticut have proposed increasing the minimum age to 18 for someone to handle an assault or machine gun style rifle or weapon. This proposed Connecticut assault weapon legislation is in direct response to the death of an 8 year old boy who shot himself with an Uzi at a gun fair in Westfield, Massachusetts last October w, while his father looked on. You can read about this most tragic story in a prior blog posts at Boy Accidentally Shoots Himself with an Uzi at Westfield, Massachusetts Gun Show – Legal Rights and Responsibilities
Any time that there is gun legislation there is a debate between gun right / 2nd amendment proponents and those who favor restrictions on gun use and ownership. Gun right proponents argue that laws restricting the ownership and use of guns only takes guns out of law abiding citizens. Criminals have possession of guns with or without the laws in place. Others argue that there should be restrictions since this will reduce the injuries and deaths caused by the intentional and accidental shooting incidents.
Gun safety should be paramount to those supervising children around guns. Whether the laws allow the ownership or use of a particular gun by a child, it is still the duty of the parent and caregiver to make sure that all safety precautions are followed when children are using or near guns.