How We Think The Little Boy Got His Mom's Gun In The Truck

Yesterday, we spoke about the mother who was accidentally shot by her 4 year old son. If you haven't read it yet, check it out first, then come back here to read why we thought this happened. The boy shot her in the back with her .45 ACP handgun as she drove her pickup truck with a horse trailer attached to it. This is a sad story, and one that could have been prevented had some safety measures been followed.

As usual, there is a lesson that needs to be learned, and it isn't just for people with small children. Here are a couple of different scenarios that illustrate what may have gone wrong. Though, Jamie Gilt has not come forth with any details just yet.
Scenario One:
She buckled her son into his booster seat, and may have placed the loaded Kimber Custom on the seat next to him, for what she thought to be a split second. She likely had every intention of picking it up and holstering it, or at least putting it in a safe spot that was out of her son's reach.
If this is how it played out thus far, maybe she received a phone call that was just enough to distract her from remembering that she left her pistol next to her son. Or, maybe she forgot something in the house and had to run back in to get it—mindlessly closing the door and forgetting about the gun she left behind.
We don't know for sure, but this is a viable situation. People are forgetful, even in the most important of times. Though, it definitely isn't an excuse for negligence. The lesson here, is that you need to know where your firearm is at all times. Furthermore, we are NOT off-body carry proponents here at Gun Carrier. If you have a gun, it should be on your person, each step of the way until you take it off at night.
Scenario Two:
Everything went as planned. She woke up, stuck her child in the booster, and then sat down in the driver's seat. Maybe her gun was holstered on her hip, but wasn't in a comfortable position for driving. If this is the case, she may have de-holstered it and stuck it on the passenger seat.
Maybe she had to hit the brakes hard in order to avoid getting into an accident, or hitting a deer. Actually, since this is Florida, maybe it was a gator she was avoiding. Either way, whenever you've got something on your seat and you slam the brakes, your stuff goes flying.
The added weight of the trailer would only hurt this situation, because the brakes of the truck had to stop all of that extra weight. If this is how it happened, the gun may have slid backwards, underneath the seat within reach of the boy.
Is it a stretch? Yes, it is. But, it is a viable situation. This is one of the reasons why I always tell people to have their firearm secured when they drive with them not physically attached to their bodies. 
The lesson here, is just that. Keep your firearms secured at all times, because they could go flying. This is bad for all of the obvious reasons. You could lose your firearm under the seat for someone else to find. Or, if an attacker comes up to hijack your vehicle, you've now got no way of defending yourself.
Conclusion:
Sadly, it takes circumstances like this for us to educate others on firearms safety. But, this is how it works in all sectors of every niche throughout the entire world. Back in the day, they didn't realize that smoking was bad until people started to develop cancer. They didn't realize that driving drunk was bad until people died from the accidents they were in.
But, people still smoke cigarettes and drive drunk. And, people still carelessly leave their firearms un-attended, as well. Make sure you take the time to educate someone about firearms safety. This is a good example of why it's never a good idea to assume that someone knows, because Ms. Gilt was someone who seemed to know better. At least that's how it seemed on the surface.
What do you think? Which scenario is likely the one that happened in your eyes? Do you think there is a more viable situation that could have happened? Let us know in the comments below. Also, make sure you subscribe to the Gun Carrier newsletter, so that you can keep up to date with the latest gun-related news.