There's been another child-on-child shooting in America.
A 7-year-old boy was shot in his northeast Houston home on Tuesday -- and the gunman was apparently his younger brother, The Houston Chronicle reported..
According to ABC13.com, the boys were in the bathtub around 9 p.m. when their mother stepped away for a moment. Police say the 5-year-old brother then got out of the tub, found a .22 rifle and shot his older brother.
A 3-year-old Florida boy fatally shot himself Tuesday using a gun he found in the bedroom that he shared with his uncle. Jadarrius Speights was alone when he accidentally discharged an "unsecured 9mm handgun" left in a backpack that belonged to his uncle, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Police arrested the boy's uncle, Jeffrey D. Walker, 29, Tuesday night and charged him with culpable negligence. Walker purchased the weapon at a Tampa Bay area gun shop and does possess a concealed weapons permit, according to authorities.
The boy's parents, Jasmine Bell, 21, and Trentin Speights, 22, were in their bedroom when the shooting happened.
Speights passed away after emergency responders rushed him to Florida Hospital Tampa.
Also on Tuesday, a 7-year-old boy in northeast Houston was shot by his 5-year-old brother when their mother stepped away while the boys bathed. The older boy is expected to recover.
On Saturday, a 13-year-old boy shot his 6-year-old sister with a handgun they found in their Florida home. The girl was in critical but stable condition.
On April 30, a 5-year-old boy in Kentucky accidentally shot and killed his 2-year-old sister while playing with a .22-caliber rifle given to him as a gift.
A 4-year old boy shot and killed the wife of a Tennessee sheriff's deputy over the weekend, police say.
On April 6, Wilson County Deputy Daniel Fanning was inside his home showing his weapons collection to a relative when the officer's wife and young nephew entered the room. The child grabbed one of Fanning's loaded guns off the bed and fired a single shot.
The bullet struck Josephine Fanning, the deputy's 48-year-old wife. Despite efforts to revive her, Josephine was pronounced dead at the scene.
The gun used in the shooting was not the officer's service weapon, nor was he on duty at the time of the incident, The Tennessean reported.
According to CBS News, Fanning is a school resource officer at two area elementary schools. He and Josephine wed last year.
Sheriff Robert Bryan called the shooting a terrible accident.
"It's a sad, sad set of circumstances," Sheriff Bryan told WSMV.
At this time, charges are not pending. However, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is examining the incident.
A teenage girl skyrocketed to the center of the gun control debate when a YouTube video of her three-minute pro-gun speech went viral, acquiring more than 2.3 million views.
Sarah Merkle, 15 of Maryland, has been shooting guns for almost eight years and is a member of the Maryland Rifle Club and Maryland State Rifle Club. She says in the video that signing anti-gun legislation would not be doing away with gun violence but rather “liberating American citizens of our constitutional rights.” READ MORE: Obama Takes Gun Control Push to Connecticut
Merkle, who says that her favorite rifle is a Bushmaster, makes a gripping plea to legislators who are considering passing legislation to enact stricter gun control laws.
In her testimony, Merkle tells that she has become eligible for various shooting scholarships at prestigious universities, and the laws proposed would interfere with her eligibility to join their shooting teams.
“Achieving stricter gun control laws would obliterate any opportunity I could have had to attend a decent college on a shooting scholarship,” she says.
A provision in the Maryland law makes it more difficult for residents to transport their firearms across the state border. In the case of Merkle, it is problematic because she would be unable to shoot at a range that is located over the border in nearby Delaware. Stricter gun laws would hinder her ability to practice.
In her plea in front of Maryland State Legislature in Annapolis, Merkle says that guns are not the problem, people are. READ MORE: More State Laws are Loosening Gun Restrictions
“Purging our society of violence and murder cannot be done by gun control legislation.” She continues, saying that in passing legislation,”You are not eliminating guns from society but eliminating our ability to protect our lives, liberty and pursuits of happiness.”
Though her argument was effective and concise, that did not stop Maryland officials from approving a sweeping package of restrictions on firearms last week.
If signed into law by Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who will likely sign it, the legislation would require those hoping to purchase firearms to provide fingerprints and acquire a license before their purchase. The measure would also ban the sale both high-capacity rifles and magazines with more than 10 rounds.
The legislation was passed by the Senate by a vote of 28-19.
Merkle’s appeal came at a difficult time where the nation is still morning the loss of lives from December shooting rampage in Newtown, Conn.
Just last week, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy signed into law one of the strongest and most comprehensive pieces of gun legislation in the country that deals with restrictions on weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines. READ MORE: Obama Says Enacting Gun Laws is ‘Tougher’ Than Immigration Reform
Malloy who promised to continue to fight for law changes that address gun violence, signed the legislation saying, “Today does not mark the end of our efforts.”
MIAMI, FL -- A little girl has died after being shot Saturday night in front of other children in a car in Northwest Miami-Dade.
Four-year-old Rahquel Carr suffered a gunshot wound to her upper body, according to Miami-Dade Police, and was pronounced dead at Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Detectives are still investigating to determine who shot the gun inside the white Mercedes-Benz, which the Miami Herald reports was parked in the girl's grandparents' driveway in the 12000 block of Northwest 20th Avenue.
Relatives told CBS Miami they believe the girl's six-year-old brother was playing with the gun when it went off accidentally, but MDPD spokesman Det. Roy Rutland said circumstances are still unclear.
"There's a lot of speculation right now as to who had that firearm at the time, but we're not in the business of speculating, we're in the business of facts," Rutland said, noting that an adult was nearby and several children were inside the car when the shooting happened around 6 p.m. Saturday evening.
The Associated Press reports the owner of both the weapon and the car was not present at the time of the shooting and has not been charged.
Florida law requires firearms to be securely encased when in a vehicle, according to NBC6.
“To know that a kid has access to a gun and to be able to have that kind of tragedy happen right in front of your home it’s sad,” neighbor Kendrick Williams told CBS. “Our prayers are with the family and everybody else involved in this situation. The sad thing is someone’s going to have to get in trouble for this for being irresponsible with the unsecured weapon.”
Authorities in Fairmont, N.C., say Christopher Stanlane, Jr., 10, was killed when he was shot by his father while the parent cleaned a shotgun.
FAIRMONT, N.C. -- Authorities say a 10-year-old boy was killed in North Carolina when he was shot by his father while the parent cleaned a shotgun.
Robeson County deputies say 34-year-old Christopher Stanlane was on the couch in his Fairmont home wiping down the gun around 4 p.m. Sunday when it fired.
Investigators say the boy was sitting in front of his father watching television and was struck in the head. Paramedic declared him dead at the home.
No charges have been filed, and deputies are still investigating the shooting
Authorities say an active-duty Marine shot and killed two fellow service members at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia before killing himself early Friday.
Authorities say the male shooter was found dead of a self inflicted gunshot wound and two others, one man and one woman, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooter and the two victims were all identified as active duty Marines, but their names were not released pending family notification. Sgt. Christopher Zahn tells Fox News authorities cannot yet speculate on a motive for the killings.
MyFoxDC.com reports authorities believe the suspect was a staff member at the officer candidate school on the base.
The standoff began after a shooting on the base around 11 p.m. Thursday.
Authorities entered the barracks where the suspect had barricaded himself early Friday after he allegedly killed one Marine and found the suspect dead along with another victim.
The base had been put on lockdown but the lockdown was lifted early Friday.
A post on the base's Facebook page had urged residents to stay inside with their doors locked and follow any instructions from the base intercom system.
The base, which is about 37 miles south of Washington, is also home to the FBI's training academy.
