Guns Don't Kill People

When will we address the toddler menace in this country? (Or at least in Missouri.)

Roughly once a week this year, on average, a small child has found a gun, pointed it at himself or someone else, and pulled the trigger.

[...]

Shootings by toddlers have happened in 24 states so far this year. Missouri has seen the most, with five separate incidents. Florida has had four. Texas, three.

  WaPo

Interesting distribution.

Due to the low number of total cases and the isolated nature of these incidents I'd caution against drawing broad conclusions from the map above. But it is worth noting that the shootings don't necessarily follow broader population trends. California, the most populous state in the nation, hasn't had any. Nobody has been shot by a toddler in New England or the Upper Midwest.

These numbers are probably an undercount. There are likely instances of toddlers shooting people that result in minor injuries and no media coverage. And there are probably many more cases where a little kid inadvertently shoots a gun and doesn't hit anyone, resulting in little more than a scared kid and (hopefully) chastened parents.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.