Two Separate Child Gun Incidents in Days Put Michigan’s Storage Law Back in Focus

When you live anywhere in Michigan, stories about guns and safety come up pretty often. But every once in a while there is one that really makes you stop and think for a minute, and this is one of those.

Another Child Gun Incident in Metro Detroit

Over the weekend, a six year old girl in Wayne County found a gun inside her home and accidentally shot herself. Authorities say the bullet hit her thumb and a finger. She was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay, which is obviously the best outcome you can hope for in a situation like that.

READ MORE: Michigan Bill Would Allow Concealed Carry Without Permit

Prosecutors say the girl’s father is now facing charges tied to firearm safe storage violations. According to investigators, the issue centers on how the gun was stored and whether it was accessible to a child.

Two Incidents in Detroit Just Days Apart

What makes this situation even heavier is the timing. It happened just days after another shooting involving a six year old girl in Detroit.

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In that case, police say the child somehow got access to a gun and tragically shot herself. Officers were called to an area near Gratiot and Harper after reports that a mother had stepped out to grab food, leaving several kids in a car where a loaded gun was also present. Investigators are still working to determine exactly how the child got the weapon.

Michigan’s Safe Storage Gun Law Explained

Stories like these are part of the reason Michigan updated its safe storage law in 2024. The law requires firearms to be secured if a child could be present. That can mean keeping the gun in a locked container or using a trigger lock. Guns left inside vehicles also have to be secured.

READ MORE: Michigan Parent May Face Prison Time After Child Shoots Himself

If a child gains access to a gun that was not properly stored and someone is seriously hurt or killed, the person responsible for that firearm can face felony charges, fines up to ten thousand dollars, and even prison time.