A 4-year-old boy was accidentally shot in the head by his 5-year-old brother earlier this week in East Orange, New Jersey. He later died from injuries sustained in the shooting. Their mother is now in jail following the boy’s death.
A spokeswoman told FOX 5 NY that Itaniyah Spruill, the children’s 22-year-old mother, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and a weapons violation related to his death. Authorities say Spruill was home at the time of the shooting.
We know of the mass shootings that plague our country and the countless children who die annually from gun violence but these incidents, unfortunately, are not an anomaly. You probably weren’t even surprised when you read this headline. In fact, you probably got upset because the 5-year-old was able to get his hand on the gun.
Here’s the thing— you’re right. Yes, the gun should not have been accessible to the children. Yes, the mother probably shouldn’t have had a gun in the first place, BUT she did.
A 5-year-old child is now subject to the perils of “the system”, the trauma of losing a sibling and growing up without his mother because purchasing a gun is as easy as logging into Twitter.
We live in a country where obtaining a gun is easier than getting birth control, purchasing tickets to see Hamilton on Broadway or even qualifying for food stamps. In fact, a Philadelphia reporter conducted an experiment and was able to purchase an assault rifle in less than 7-minutes, even after the Orlando Pulse shooting.
According to a Pew study, 39% of black parents say they are concerned that their child will be shot at some point in their life compared to one-in-five white parents with the same fears.
Our lawmakers are going to extreme measures to prevent stories like these two innocent brothers from happening. Last week, Rep. John Lewis staged a sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives that lasted for 25 hours. The week before, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut filibustered for 15 hours in order to get his Republican counterparts to pass legislation on gun control.
How can we, as citizens, help?
The first step is to get informed about gun safety. Contact your local legislators and press for tighter gun laws. Find organizations like the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence to learn more about how you can get involved with reducing deaths and gun related injuries. If you know about an illegal gun sale, report it. Always be mindful of the great responsibility that comes with owning a gun. Take courses and get educated about safety measures. If you are a gun owner with children around, keep it stored in a hidden, elevated area out of their reach.
Be proactive.
