Everytown and Moms Demand Action #Notanaccident Index Finds at Least Four Unintentional Child Shootings in North Carolina in 2015

Raleigh, NC – Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America recently launched #NotAnAccident Index and interactive map, a first-of-its-kind tracking of unintentional shootings by children 17 or under across the United States shows North Carolina suffered at least four unintentional shootings involving children, resulting in four injuries in 2015—including shootings in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Mooresville.

Nationally the #NotAnAccident Index indicates that since January 1, 2015, there have been at least 88 unintentional shootings involving children, resulting in 65 injuries and 25 deaths—that’s an average of one unintentional child shooting in America every 36 hours. The index is based on media coverage and police reports of instances where a child 17 years or younger unintentionally fired a gun and harmed either him or herself or another person.

“As a parent, I am shocked to see how many unintentional child shootings there are here in North Carolina,” said Misty Uribe, a North Carolina mom of three, her 8-year old son was at a friend’s house when one of his playmates was shot in the face while playing “cops and robbers” with an unsecured gun. “A month ago, I was like many parents–doing everything in my power to keep my children safe, but I was sheltered from the reality that more than two million American children live in homes with unsecured guns and that once every 36 hours, a child unintentionally fires a gun and harms someone. That is unacceptable—as adults, we need to be responsible for gun safety. These are not accidents, they are preventable tragedies.”

The North Carolina shootings on the #NotAnAccident Index are:

January 8, 2015, Davidson County, NC
A three-year-old boy shot and wounded his grandfather, Nicholas Cardillo III, 46. While Cardillo was taking a shower, his grandchild found a .38 caliber handgun Cardillo had set down and from which he had removed the magazine, but which still had a bullet in the chamber. Cardillo heard a noise and found his grandson holding the gun, but when he asked the boy to set it down, the gun discharged, hitting Cardillo. His injuries were not life threatening.

January 24, 2015, Charlotte, NC
A 14-year-old boy was playing with a gun in a public park when he unintentionally shot himself in the arm. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

March 29, 2015, Mooresville, NC
An eight-year-old boy was playing “cops and robbers” in his backyard with an 11-year-old boy when he found a rifle in an outbuilding and unintentionally fired it, injuring the 11-year-old. Misty Uribe’s son was witness to this event.

April 3, 2015, Raleigh, NC
A two-year-old boy unintentionally shot himself in the face after finding his father’s gun. He was airlifted to a local hospital and survived. The boy’s father, Jamick Dakota Corely, 34, was arrested at the scene and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm with an altered or obliterated serial number, failure to store a firearm safely to protect a minor, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

In efforts to reduce the number of shootings by children, Everytown and Moms Demand Action recently launched the Be SMART campaign, a new public education campaign asking gun owners and non-gun owners alike to come together to reduce the number of unintentional shootings, suicides, and homicides that occur when firearms are not stored responsibly and children or teens get ahold of a gun. The campaign asks parents and caretakers to take five steps to help prevent shootings by children: Secure all guns in your home and vehicles; Model responsible behavior around guns; Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes; Recognize the risks of teen suicide; Tell your peers to be SMART. More information on Be SMART is available at BeSMARTforKids.org.

“Earlier this month, I was proud to attend the national launch of the Be SMART campaign and I know it a great way to get North Carolinians talking about basic gun safety and preventing further tragedy,” continued Uribe. “This campaign is not anti-gun, it’s pro-gun safety. The goal here is not to scare people or take away anyone’s rights, but rather to demonstrate that we have the power to help prevent these tragedies before they happen, and it starts with the Be SMART campaign—I urge everyone to go to the BeSMARTforkids.org website to learn more and to get involved in this conversation to promote gun safety.”

As part of the Be SMART campaign to promote gun safety in communities nationwide, Everytown and Moms Demand Action will provide one gunlock for every supporter who completes the online gun safety quiz on BeSMARTforKids.org to Moms Demand Action chapters to distribute at local gun safety awareness events.