JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The fatal shooting of a 6-year-old by a 9-year-old in a southwest Jacksonville neighborhood left many shocked and devastated.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the older child got a gun Monday afternoon and killed the younger one. Police have not said what the relationship between the two is.
Baptist Health Pediatrician Dr. Jeffrey Goldhagen said it’s up to all of us to protect kids from gun violence.
He said parents should have conversations with children early about the dangers of guns just like they do about stranger danger.
According to Goldhagen, between 25 and 40 percent of families with young children have guns in the home and only half of those are stored safely.
“This is a family issue,” Goldhagen said. “It’s an individual issue. It’s a community issue. It’s a moral and ethical issue. It’s a legal issue and it’s an issue that needs to be addressed as a priority in our community and communities across the country.”
Monday’s shooting was the fourth gun-related death of a child in Duval County since 2021.
Goldhagen said every gun should have a lock and be stored securely in a container that’s out of a child’s reach. Even if you don’t own a firearm, he said you should still talk to your kids about them.
“Whether you have a gun in the home is irrelevant because your child will be in a home that does have a gun and will be in danger’s way unless you talk with them,” Goldhagen said.
Storing or leaving a loaded firearm in a place where a minor can use it is a second-degree misdemeanor in Florida.
If the shooting results in death or injury, the gun owner can be charged with a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and $5000 fine. They could also be charged with child neglect.
Goldhagen said family physicians and pediatricians should also be talking to families about gun safety.
“It should be a critical part of every well child exam that the pediatrician or family physician talk to families about gun safety,” Goldhagen said, “and I hope parents understand that it’s not about a cultural or political issue. It’s about keeping your children safe.”
Goldhagen said the City of Jacksonville can implement gun safety initiatives and gun lock programs to combat deadly shootings involving children.