Accidental shooting in DHS highlights importance of gun safety

A son accidentally shot by his father at this Desert Hot Springs home. Police say the man didn’t know his shotgun was loaded, and accidentally fired the weapon at the floor.

The shotgun shell, filled with bird shot, ricocheted and sent the 14-year-old to the hospital.

“I don’t believe that there are accidental discharges, I think there are negligent discharges,” said Ben Moran, general manager of Second Amendment Sports in Palm Desert.

Moran says safety is the most important priority of responsible gun owners, whether they purchase firearms for recreation or self-defense.

“The number one safety rule is treat your gun as if it’s always loaded,” Moran said. “If he would have done that we probably wouldn’t be here today.”

Moran says you should always check a firearm to see if it’s loaded, and when handling it point the gun in the safest direction possible.

“If you’re on the second floor of a building you don’t want to be pointing it down or if you’re on the first floor and you’re pointing it down on the concrete floor it’s going to ricochet,” Moran said.

Every shotgun has an external notch, called a safety to prevent you from unintentionally shooting. But Moran says your finger should serve as your own “safety,” and you should never have your finger on the trigger until you’re ready to shoot – even if the safety is engaged.

“That’s probably what happened, he pulled the trigger and he wasn’t ready to shoot. You’re not in an environment to shoot when you’re in a building,” Moran said.

When you’re done with a weapon, unload it. And make sure to store it in a place where the wrong people won’t get to it.

“You definitely don’t want kids to have access to it,” Moran said.