GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A mother faces felony charges after police say she left a stolen handgun where her 2-year-old child could find it.
Investigators say 27-year-old Leondra Green left the stolen gun at her Buford home on Monday. Gwinnett County Police say her toddler found the gun and shot himself in the foot.
Green now faces reckless conduct and cruelty to children charges after her arrest. The child suffered “excessive physical pain,” according to an arrest warrant.
State Rep. Dr. Michelle Au, D-Johns Creek, has long championed a push for stronger safe storage laws in Georgia.
“Our goal is to prevent access in the first place because that mitigates harm. Right now the law does not preclude having firearms readily available to minors right up until the point that a crime is committed,” Au told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson.
Au’s bill would require any firearm that can be accessed by a minor be stored securely. Violations would be a misdemeanor with fines up to $5,000.
The bill has struggled to gain traction with some lawmakers who see it as the government mandating how gun owners store their weapons.
This arrest comes after a 9-year-old brought a gun to Meadowcreek Elementary School and fired it in a bathroom in August.
Police say that child’s mother stored a handgun in a broken lock box where he could access it. She faces similar reckless conduct charges.
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