Police in Florida are investigating how a four-year-old got his hands on a weapon and accidentally shot his pro-gun mother while she was driving the family’s vehicle on Tuesday.
Jamie Gilt told officers she was on her way to pick up a horse when her son got his hands on her .45 caliber handgun and accidentally shot her, CBS News reported.
According to the Associated Press, a deputy saw Gilt behaving frantically inside the truck, which was stopped partially in the road.
READ MORE: US boy, 7, injured in ‘tragic accidental shooting’
The deputy then saw she’d been shot in the back and the bullet had exited from her stomach area.
Gilt was taken to hospital in stable condition and the child was uninjured in the incident.
The 31-year-old is a vocal pro-gun activist who runs the Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense Facebook page that features pro-gun political memes about gun rights. Her page had been disabled at the time of writing.
However, cached versions of the Facebook page show pro-gun political memes. On March 2, Gilt shared an image of a child holding a sign that reads “My PARENTS are my ARMED BODYGUARDS, Please let them do their job!”
On February 13, Gilt shared an image that read “My right to protect my child with my gun trumps your fear of my gun.”
Police said Gilt’s firearm was legally owned.
Last month, a six-year-old Indiana boy accidentally shot and killed his father after the child found a gun on a desk in the family’s home.
Deputies found James Lonaker, 62, suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body.
READ MORE: 6-year-old fatally shoots father after finding unsecured gun
Police believe Lonaker’s son picked up the 38-calibre revolver and fired a single shot, striking his father.
Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers said the “tragic accident” could have been easily avoided.
“This was a tragic accident. Please make certain that firearms in your homes are not accessible to anyone – especially children,” Myers said in a statement. “Many firearms accidents in the home can be prevented simply by making sure that firearms are kept unloaded and safely stored, with ammunition secured in a separate location.”
–with a file from The Associated Press