DETROIT – Last year, more than 33,000 Americans died from gunshots.
Over the past three years 554 victims of deadly gunfire were under the age of 12. This startling statistic highlights a problem Detroit Police Chief James Craig is all too familiar with.
Amiracle Williams was just 3 years old last fall when she was killed. Adults were having a beef over Facebook and they decided to fight with children nearby. Shots were fired. Amiracle was killed.
This past Christmas, 10-year-old Tony Campbell was left home alone with other kids when someone picked up a shotgun belonging to his mother's boyfriend and shot Tony dead.
"Children should not have access to guns," said Craig. "People suffering from mental illness should not have access to guns."
Craig did a sit-down interview with Local 4 on Monday in which he discussed kids and guns. It has been three years since the Sandy Hook mass shooting where unhinged gunman Adam Lanza killed 20 young children and six educators. An NBC News study found that since that school shooting a child is shot and killed in the United States every other day.
Craig is outspoken about Detroiters arming themselves for protection. He's also just as outspoken about gun owners being responsible.
"The message is clear: Lock it up. If you're not responsible you shouldn't have the firearm in your home. Lock it up, secure it," he said.