Warren County Sheriff’s Office urges parents to practice gun safety with kids

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Local officials say the terrible incident in Whitley County on Thursday is a reminder to all parents to keep guns and other weapons out of reach and locked away.

A child as young as 2 or 3 years old has enough curiosity and strength to pick up a gun and pull a trigger.

“They’re very curious little humans and they want to explore and they want to find things. So I think just putting a gun in a safe location out of reach from a toddler, out of reach from a child. Again, just to reemphasize, practicing that gun safety talk and having the conversation so that there’s no question if a child does see a gun, they know what it is and they know what not to do,” captain Curtis Hargett with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office says.

Hargett says it’s not enough to put the gun out of reach. He says to lock the gun in a safe, secure place away from all children.

“It’s a good reminder for all of us to store our guns safely & securely in our homes and our vehicles wherever they are and also practice gun safety with children. If you have a gun, if you own a gun, I think it’s never too early to start talking about gun safety and the main practice is just to limit their accessibility to the gun,” Hargett says.

Keeping firearms in a place where they cannot be seen or accessed without a key or code, like a gun safe, is always a recommended location.