A toddler found a handgun at an in-home day care facility in Dearborn, Michigan, on Wednesday and pulled the trigger, wounding two 3-year-old boys, one critically. Responding officers were spotted removing long-gun cases from the day care, which was reportedly unlicensed.
“Obviously, there was a weapon in proximity to the kids, and that’s totally unacceptable to me,” Police Chief Ron Haddad said at a news conference. He didn’t say whom the gun belonged to or how the child got hold of it.
Police described one of the day care’s owners, Tim Eubanks, as a hunter. Eubanks’s wife, Samantha, the facility’s co-owner, “totally hates guns” and didn’t permit her husband to bring them into the house, her sister said.
Michigan law permits the storage of firearms in home day care facilities, as long as they’re kept in a locked container that’s inaccessible to children. Concealed-gun carriers are barred from bringing their weapons into home day cares. Police will refer the findings of their investigation to prosecutors, who will weigh charges.
“If there are charges, they’ll be appropriate charges,” Haddad said.
Earlier this year, Ohio removed restrictions on concealed guns at child care centers and in-home day cares, and required the facilities to post a no-guns sign if they’re prohibited. A law enacted earlier this year in Georgia that broadened concealed carry stopped short of allowing guns in child care facilities.
