After 6-year-old shoots boy, 8, police plead with parents to lock up guns

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio police department hopes that an accidental shooting of an 8-year-old boy will serve as a warning to other parents about safe gun storage.

Last week, an 8-year-old and a 6-year-old found a loaded gun in the basement of a Mount Vernon home and started playing with it, according to Columbus police and Raw Story.

That gun went off, wounding the 8-year-old in the arm. The boy is expected to make a full recovery at Children’s Hospital.

Police said a “third party” took the gun from the home before officers arrived.

No charges have been filed at this time, authorities said.

Columbus police shared information about the incident on social media.

"PLEASE LOCK UP GUNS – We're posting this incident to raise awareness & educate the public," the department wrote.

Guns are present in one in three American homes with children in them, according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute. The Washington Post reports that, on average, two children are incidentally shot by mishandling firearms every week.

Cox Media Group