Dayton Daily News

Volume 7, Issue 3: Gun Control Editon

Tuesday ,June 14th, 2014
Father Charged After 3-year-old Fatally Shoots Himself

Afer these recent incidents in the media
the idea of gun control has been raising
eyebrows in surrounding communites.
Neighbors of the most recent victm of an
accidental frearm death have stated that
Gun Control will only help prevent acci-
dents like this, and should really be put
into consideraton.
It is estmated that 31% of unintentonal
gun deaths could be prevented if con-
gress would pass a law that required guns
to have child-proof safety locks and load-
ing indicators, the United States General
Accountng Ofce stated.
The New Yorkers Against Gun Violence
found that between 2005 and 2011,
1,300 people were killed from uninten-
tonal shootngs. The same group found
that 33% of households contain at least
one frearm, and half of those, like the
home Owen Smith lived in, dont lock up
their guns in a frearm safe.
It isnt about taking guns away from law-
abiding citzens, its about protectng so-
ciety from those frearms falling into the
hands of the wrong people, criminal AND
underage, a neighbor of Smith who
doesnt want to be identfed stated afer
the incident.


Other informaton on the Smith case will
not be released untl further investgaton
has taken place, Harrington stated at the
press-release.
Dayton, Ohio An Ohio father faces involun-
tary manslaughter charges afer his 3-year-
old son fatally shot himself over the week-
end, police said.
Jonathan Smith, 20, was taken into custody
late Sunday night, nearly a day afer his son
died at Miami Valley Hospital from his inju-
ries. Smith was also charged with underage
possession of a frearm with no permit, po-
lice spokesman Daniel Harrington said.
The boy, Owen Smith, was playing in the
living room of the home where he and the
father stayed when he found a loaded .22-
calliber pistol underneath the living room
cofee table, Harrington said at a press-
release conference that afernoon.
Harrington made no comments directly
statng that the child shot himself, but said,
A child this small does not have the
strength in his index fngers to pull a trigger,
but can apply enough pressure to pull a trig-
ger with his two thumbs.
Typically, theyll be investgatng the
weapon in situatons like this, and many
relatves and family friends are queston-
ing whether stricter gun laws could help
prevent situatons like this.
Owen Smith was admited to Miami Val-
leys pediatrics Emergency Room and
Trauma Center, where he died from his
injuries, WHIO reported. No one else was
injured in the household, the staton said.
Smith is being held at Hamilton County Jail
on a $50,000 bond, Harrington Said. He
frst appeared in the Hamilton County
Court House on Monday, and his case was
contnued untl December 3
rd
, the county
clerks ofce claimed. Smith has not had
an atorney assigned to his case at this
tme.
This is the third incident since July of a
child younger than the age of 5 dying from
unintentonal, self-inficted gunshot
wound.


It isnt about taking guns away
from law-abiding citzens, its
about protectng society