Gun safety at home could prevent another tragedy

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Over the weekend, 9 year old Tre’von Barnett lost his life after police say kids were playing with a gun.

“No parent wants to live through that kind of nightmare,” said Lieutenant Tim Williams with the Mishawaka Police Department.

Barnett’s death is part of much a larger and heartbreaking statistic.

According to Brady United, every day, 8 children and teens are unintentionally injured or killed due to an unlocked or unsupervised gun in the home.

“As adults, when we go out and buy firearms, it’s a huge responsibility we’re taking it on,” Lt. Williams said. He says it’s about storing your gun safely.

“A lot of gun owners unfortunately feel like storing their weapons in night stands or under couches are safe places but they’re not,” Lt. Williams said. “We’ve seen tragedies too many times.”

Firearms should be stored in a locked location and ammunition should be stored separately.

According to Brady United, 4.6 million children live in homes with access to an unlocked or unsupervised gun and over 70% of kids know where that gun is stored in their home.

“We need to make sure we take this seriously and prevent these tragedies from happening,” Lt. Williams said.

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