DETROIT – A mother has been charged after her toddler accessed an unsecured firearm in their Detroit home and shot himself, according to officials.
Armonie Cherece Mack, 25, has been charged with child abuse after her 2-year-old son reportedly obtained an unsecured handgun inside their home and shot himself in the leg on the night of Dec. 15. Officials say the boy was hospitalized for treatment following the shooting.
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Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy on Saturday announced that Mack is facing a second-degree child abuse charge in connection with the non-fatal shooting.
“I simply do not understand why this is tough or controversial,” Worthy said. “I have been beating this drum that children should not have access to guns for over five years now. I have talked about this incessantly. Gun owners have a duty to safely store their weapons when children are around. They need to make sure that there is absolutely no way that children can get access. Full stop.”
Mack is being held on a $15,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court again on Dec. 29.
The charges come amid a moment when the importance of safely storing guns inside homes where children reside is being debated following the Oxford High School shooting. The suspected shooter, who is 15 years old, is said to have easily accessed his father’s 9 mm pistol. The parents are facing charges in connection with the mass shooting.
Last week, Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) introduced a new bill that would require gun owners to safely store weapons in homes where children reside or have reasonable access to the weapons.
Read: New bill would require gun owners to safely store weapons away from children