Yahoo Movies Can parents in the Carolinas be charged for not securing their guns? What the law says
A toddler was hospitalized after being shot in the torso at an apartment in Lancaster, South Carolina on Monday, officials said.
The incident was the latest in a string of firearm incidents that have led to child injury or death.
Investigators have not released information about who the gun belonged to, the circumstances of the incident or whether charges are pending.
Since 2015, there have been at least 163 unintentional shootings by children that have resulted in injury or death in the Carolinas, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates against gun violence.
To safeguard against children using a firearm to harm themselves or others, most states have laws that grant prosecutors the right to charge adults for allowing unfettered access to weapons.
What North Carolina, South Carolina laws say
In North Carolina, state law says anyone who lives with a minor and stores a firearm in a place where they could gain access to it without the guardian’s permission can be charged with a class 3 misdemeanor if the minor:
Displays the firearm in a public place in a careless, angry, or threatening manner
Causes personal injury or death to someone not in self-defense
Uses it to commit a crime
RELATED: Can North Carolina parents be charged with their kids’ gun crimes?
A class 3 misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 days in jail and a fine of $200, according to state law.
South Carolina does not have any laws designed to prevent children from accessing firearms, meaning parents cannot be held liable if their children gain access to firearms stored in their homes, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of data compiled by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
How safe gun storage laws work in the Carolinas
Neither state has laws that require gun owners to keep their firearms locked in a secure place, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
However, federal law does not allow firearm dealers to sell guns to buyers who do not have secure gun storage or safety devices, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
