Mother Charged with Injury to a Child due to Allowing Minor with Access to Firearm

KTVB.com reports:

MOUNTAIN HOME -- Prosecutors in Elmore County have charged the mother of a 5-year-old boy who accidentally shot another child.

Police say the boy found a gun inside his home in Mountain Home and brought it outside to play.

The semi-automatic 9 millimeter gun went off and a bullet struck the teenager in the back who was some 75 yards away.

The 16-year-old survived but has a long road of recovery.

Now Molly McFadden, the mother of the 5-year-old, who was home at the time of the shooting, is charged with Injury to a child.

The other adult living in the home is in the Air Force. Nathaniel Harman has been referred to the U.S. Air Force for review.

Unfortunately, this incident could have been easily avoided by the purchase and use of a gun vault or safe which are easily obtained and economical for as low at $75.00. Idaho Code Section 18-5001 makes the offense of an injury to a child (a felony) punishable in a county jail up to no more than one (1) year OR in a state prison no less than one (1) and no more than ten (10) years.

This is a hazard easily avoided by the purchase and use of a gun vault which makes the weapon unavailable to minors to play with which can result in the child or others being exposed to injury or death as a result thereof. "A stitch in time saves nine."
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