A 3-year-old boy in Bartow died Thursday evening after accidentally shooting himself with his father’s gun in a Burger King parking lot. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the father had pulled over to handle a credit card issue at the drive-thru and removed the gun from his waistband because it was uncomfortable. The child, in the backseat, got hold of the weapon and it fired. The boy was taken to a hospital and did not survive.
No arrests have been made, and the Polk County State Attorney’s Office is reviewing whether criminal charges are warranted. Florida law treats leaving a loaded firearm within reach of a minor as a third-degree felony under culpable negligence statutes. Judd described the incident as a horrible tragedy, and noted the state’s negligence statute applies to situations involving minors and loaded firearms.
For Gulf Coast families, this story is a hard reminder that safe storage has to be a habit, not a decision made in the moment. Whether the gun is in a nightstand, a glove box, or a waistband, kids get to it faster than we think. Do you think Florida should require locked storage for firearms carried in vehicles, or should that stay a personal responsibility? Tell us on our Facebook page.
