INDIANAPOLIS — Children and guns—It's a topic that has been at the center of discussions surrounding gun safety.
"I believe that we have the right to bear arms, but I think that it is incumbent upon parents to really make sure that if you have a weapon, you always need to consider incidents like this could occur," Pastor Kenneth Sullivan Jr. of New Direction Church said.
An investigation is underway after an 11-year-old boy died after IMPD said he accidentally shot himself on Sunday.
"We are in an unacceptable state when it comes to youth gun violence in Indianapolis," Nikki Trojanowski, Red Flag Lead of Moms Demand Action Against Gun Violence of Indianapolis said.
A cry for strategies.
"I just think our society is over-gunned I think we have far too many weapons out here that are unaccounted for and unsecure," Sullivan said.
And solutions.
"Certainly, the number that we're seeing today is far from acceptable," Trojanowski said.
That just seems to be a constant conversation right now on ways to reduce gun violence.
"Guns are not toys. They're not something to play with. I know they may play video games, and they may see someone shot, and they get up, and they have extra lives, but that's not how it works in real life," Sullivan said.
Sunday, an 11-year-old boy died after Metro Police said he accidentally shot himself. This happened Sunday on East Market Street near Sherman Drive.
The coroner identified him today as Jordan Robertson. Detectives said the shooting happened in a room upstairs, and several juveniles were in the house at the time.
"It's important that if you own a firearm or have a firearm in your home to make sure that you keep them away from our younger people. So, this is certainly a hurtful scene that we have to deal with," Officer William Young with IMPD said.
IMPD said it's difficult for them to track accidental shootings.
However, looking at the data on shootings involving juveniles, whether accidental or intentional, is disheartening.
So far this year, 44 children have been the victims of gun violence in Indianapolis, 13 of them deadly.
Compared to this time last year, 64 kids were victims of gun violence, and 11 of those were deadly.
Trojanowski said it's time to adopt stronger laws for "safe storage."
"It would make it illegal to not have a gun secure but safely inside the home," Trojanowski said.
"I think there is a toxic culture with a fascination of guns and weapons, and I think that hurt people hurt people," Sullivan said.
Sullivan said he has spent a lot of time and resources trying to make a difference and steer our youth down the right path.
He said as difficult as it is to constantly hear such alarming incidents, the fight to make a difference and better educate the community on gun violence is not in vain.
“I think we all have to do our part in making a difference in our society," Sullivan said.
Trojanowski said Moms Demand Action is working to change the verbiage of accidental shootings, that way accurate data can be provided so they can know how to better serve the Hoosier state.
