A Metro Detroit man involved in a 2014 shooting is advocating for gun safety and protection, especially among children.
Marcus Weldon was leaving a Christmas party in December 2014 when he stopped by a gas station. Dressed up as Santa Clause, Weldon was helping a woman change her tire when someone approached them and tried to rob them.
Weldon said what began as a physical confrontation resulted in a gunfight that night. Ever since then, he has been advocating for gun safety and protection.
Weldon says he has been licensed to carry a weapon for over nine years and has been properly trained, even in firearms law.
“I do frequent training, not only with self-defense, but also in safety," Weldon said. “I also had a recent issue with a self-defense situation, which made me even more proactive in training.”
Amid a significant number of recent shooting accidents involving children, Weldon says he has made it a priority to educate his 11-year-old daughter on proper gun safety and usage.
“I wanted to make sure she was not so curious to the point where she wanted to pick it up and play with it," Weldon said of his daughter. "So I taught her trigger discipline, how to keep your finger off the trigger if she had to actually put her hand on a firearm.
“I also talked to her about (other) kids, (telling her that) of you see a child is playing with a firearm and you’re in a room: leave. Tell an adult immediately," Weldon added.
The man says his weapons are locked away in his home, and he has gun safety measures in place as well.
Shooting incidents among kids have cropped up across Metro Detroit over the last few months.
Local 4 recently reported on a 12-year-old shot in Oak Park, a 10-year-old was accidentally killed by another teen in Warren and two people were shot in a youth deer hunting incident.
These incidents only further prove to Weldon that understanding gun safety is important, no matter your age.
“I think it all depends on the maturity of your child, (as) kids grow at a different rate mentally," Weldon said. "I started talking to (my daughter) around (age) nine because I realized that nine one of the prominent ages where you hear a lot of these situations happening.”
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