A Michigan man from Flint faced charges on Tuesday under the state’s recent law mandating safe storage of firearms after his 2-year-old daughter accidentally shot herself with his revolver, just a day after the law took effect.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton announced that the 44-year-old Flint resident became the first individual to be charged with violating the law, which became effective on Feb. 13. The young girl is currently hospitalized in critical condition.
“This law went into effect one week ago today,” Leyton stated during a news conference discussing the charges against the man. “This incident occurred the very next day.”
The man is confronting various charges, including first-degree child abuse, a felony breach of Michigan’s gun storage law, possession of a firearm and ammunition as a felon, and providing false information to a police officer during a violent crime investigation.
Authorities were alerted to the shooting after the man transported his daughter to a hospital. Upon investigation, Flint police discovered two firearms in the bedroom of the man’s residence: the revolver involved in the incident and a semiautomatic pistol. Both weapons were found to be unsecured and loaded, with no gun locks or safes present in the bedroom, according to the police report.