JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Gun safety is back in the spotlight for families across Northeast Florida after yet another child was accidentally shot with an unsecured firearm. The latest incident adds to a troubling pattern of gun-related accidents involving children, prompting urgent calls for safer firearm storage.
Local gun safety expert Rod Mills said these tragedies are often preventable — if gun owners take the right precautions.
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From Jacksonville to Clay County, multiple shootings involving children have made headlines over the past few months:
- August 8: A child was injured in a shooting on Lem Turner Road.
- July 26: A 12-year-old was shot by a 19-year-old family friend.
- June 5: A child accidentally shot their father in a daycare parking lot.
- April 21: A 2-year-old tragically died after shooting himself with his father’s unsecured firearm.
Adding to the concern, a high-profile case in Clay County involved a 14-year-old accused of fatally shooting both of his parents with their gun.
“Anytime when someone under the age can get a gun without adult supervision, there’s always something that can go wrong with it,” Mills said.
Rod Mills, owner of Scorched Earth Firearms Training, demonstrated a range of gun safety tools that can help keep firearms out of children’s hands — including cable locks and secure gun safes.
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Mills explained how a basic cable lock can disable a weapon when used properly:
“You would then put it through the barrel. It will come out on the other side. At that point, you’re able to lock it, secure it, and that prevents the gun from being fired.”
He believes that if more families took steps to properly secure their firearms, accidental shootings involving children could be nearly eliminated.
“It would go from whatever the number is right now to almost 0,” he said.
As incidents continue to rise, experts and advocates stress that responsible gun ownership goes beyond simply owning a weapon — it’s about how it’s stored.
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