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CHICAGO — Authorities in Chicago are diligently investigating how an 8-year-old boy managed to obtain a firearm, which he allegedly used to shoot another child at a home on the city’s Northwest Side Thursday evening.
This incident comes as a new state legislation designed to prevent such alarming events has just been enacted.
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By Friday morning, many questions lingered outside the Humboldt Park apartment complex. According to police, the 8-year-old discovered a gun and shot a 7-year-old boy shortly after 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Police quickly descended on the scene near the junction of Division and Spaulding.
Authorities report that the injured 7-year-old was transported to Stroger Hospital in serious condition. A firearm was recovered at the scene, and despite the severity, the child is expected to recover.
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But it is still not clear how the 8-year-old was so easily able to access a gun moments before he allegedly pulled the trigger.
The shooting happened as a new state law, the Safe Gun Storage Act, took effect on the same day.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the law in July. It is aimed at keeping gun owners from storing weapons in an unsecure manner at any location where they know the weapon could be picked up by a minor, a person at risk of harming themselves or others, or someone who is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
“I’m tired, frankly, of treating something completely preventable as inevitable. I’m tired of forcing our children to duck and cover because too many politicians are ducking and covering for the gun industry’s money,” Pritzker said.
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Owners are now supposed to keep weapons locked in containers so they are the only ones who can access their firearms. And under the new law, people in violation are looking at possible hefty fines as high as $10,000.
The law also requires gun owners to report lost or stolen weapons within 48 hours. Previously, they were required to notify officials within 72 hours.
Investigators say no one is in custody after the shooting.
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