Children shot accidentally — usually by other children — are collateral casualties of the accessibility of guns in America, their deaths at once heart-rending and eminently preventable.
The murders are high at age 3 and 13.
Age 3 they are old enougth to manipulate the gun, yet young enough to not understand the difference between a toy gun and a real gun.
Age 13 they think that removing the cartridge makes it safe to point at people for fun and pull the trigger, not realizing there is a bullet in the chamber.
See on www.nytimes.com