06/04/2026
💔 August and September 2024 will forever be remembered as Utah's darkest months for child gun deaths.
Three children. Three families. Three preventable tragedies. All in just 30 days.
It started on August 2nd in Magna. A 3-year-old boy was playing when a shelf storing his parents' gun fell over. The weapon discharged, shooting the toddler in the foot. He survived after surgery, but only because the bullet missed vital organs by inches.
His parents admitted in court that they kept multiple guns on a pantry shelf - no gun safe, no locks, nothing securing deadly weapons from curious little hands. Just guns sitting on a shelf where a three-year-old could reach them.
Twenty days later, the unthinkable happened again.
A 5-year-old boy in Santaquin found a 9mm handgun in his parents' bedroom. He was probably just exploring, the way all children do. Maybe he thought it was a toy. Maybe he was curious about the interesting object he discovered.
The gun went off.
He shot himself in the head and died at the scene.
Two weeks after that funeral, Utah families were burying another child.
An 8-year-old boy was waiting in a car while his mother stopped at a gas station in Lehi. Somehow, he found a gun in that vehicle. Like the other children before him, he had no idea how dangerous it was.
He shot himself and died at the hospital.
Three children. Ages 3, 5, and 8. All dead or seriously injured because adults failed to secure their weapons.
These weren't freak accidents. Utah has had at least 32 unintentional shootings by children since 2015. Nationally, 2023 saw a record 411 such incidents - that's more than one child every single day accessing an unsecured gun.
Here's what makes this even more infuriating: Utah lawmakers have repeatedly refused to pass secure storage laws. Representatives tried in 2023 and 2024 to require basic safety measures, but the bills died in committee.
They chose gun lobby interests over children's lives.
Studies show that secure storage laws reduce child shooting deaths by 23%. Nearly three-quarters of Americans - including 58% of gun owners - support child access prevention laws.
But Utah's legislature said no. And children keep dying.
These three boys should be starting a new school year right now. They should be learning to read, playing with friends, driving their parents crazy with endless energy and questions.
Instead, two families are visiting graves, and one family is dealing with a child who will never be the same.
All because some adults couldn't be bothered to lock up their guns.
How many more children have to die before we demand change? Secure your fi****ms at I-65 and Moffett Rd. Call us at (251) 471-1137 or ask questions below. Because Utah's tragedy could happen anywhere - including here in Alabama.
