Police in Florida are pursuing a charge against Jamie Gilt, a mother and pro-gun activist, who was accidentally shot by her 4-year-old son while driving her husband’s truck on March 8.
The story garnered worldwide headlines when it was revealed that Gilt is an outspoken advocate of gun rights. The day before the shooting occurred, Gilt posted on Facebook about how her son “gets jacked up to target shoot with the .22.”
A since-deleted Facebook page believed to be ran by Gilt, called “Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense,” featured a slew of pro-gun pieces–like the following, grabbed by Jezebel:
Gilt has been hospitalized since the accident, but her health has improved enough that the police have interviewed her.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, which recommends charges against the 31-year-old, detailed what they discovered from their investigation. Via the Gainesville Sun:
– Gilt, who was headed to her cousin’s home to pick up a horse, said she decided not to carry her gun in a holster on her person because of the length of the ride. Instead, she placed the 45-caliber handgun under the edge of her driver’s seat. She said her vehicle, a Durango, has items underneath the seat that would keep a gun from sliding to the rear. She wasn’t sure if the same could be said of her husband’s truck.
– Gilt said her son recently learned to unbuckle himself from his booster seat and would occasionally do so to grab something. She added that she and her husband verbally disciplined him anytime they witnessed this happening.
– Investigators believe the gun, which was not in a holster, slid along the floor to the back where her son was seated.
– Gilt believes that her son unbuckled himself without her knowledge, possibly to pick up a toy on the floorboard (a dinosaur toy was found on the floor of the truck as well), and instead picked up the weapon. He fired the gun and the bullet ripped through the seat. It proceeded to enter Gilt’s lower back and exit her body before striking the windshield.
– When Captain Gator Deloach was asked if the gun’s safety was on he replied, “Clearly not, if he was able to pull the trigger.”
– At the moment of the shooting Gilt said she was readying to make a U-turn and felt something hit her back. She realized she was shot, put the truck in park, called her cousin and flagged down a deputy by flashing her headlights.
Deloach said Gilt has not been arrested but added that police are charging her with a second-degree misdemeanor for unsafe storage of a firearm. The State Attorney’s Office will decide whether to prosecute. Gilt could face up to 180 days in jail if convicted.
DCF has an open child protective investigation following the shooting. Deloach reiterated the importance of parents making sure that a gun does not unintentionally end up in the hands of their kids.
Gilt’s son has been under the care of family members since the shooting.
