If you can't secure it, don't buy the gun

For the second time in a month in Fayetteville, NC, a child found a gun “put where a child couldn’t get it,” and killed himself.

Fayetteville police arrested a man Saturday in the death of his 4-year-old son, who accidentally shot himself.

Jefferey Perez, 32, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and failure to secure a firearm, according to police.

Officers responded to the west Fayetteville home, at 1608 Stanford Court, shortly before 11 a.m Saturday.

According to investigators, 4-year-old Killian Perez found the loaded gun on top of the refrigerator before accidentally shooting himself. Emergency crews attempted to treat him, but he was pronounced dead at the home.

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A simple, fast-opening combination-locked handgun cabinet can be had for less than $40 on Amazon.com. That’s less than the cost of two 50-round boxes of practice ammunition, and can be opened in less than 3 seconds. A key-operated variant can be had for roughly cost of a single box of premium defensive ammunition, and might take slightly longer to open.

A child’s coffin—and a lifetime of anguish—is far more expensive than either.

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