Washington: Toddlers aged three or younger were involved in more shooting incidents than Islamic terrorists in the United Sates in 2015, US media reports suggest.
According to the Washington Post, there were 58 toddlers involved in shootings in 2015. Out of these, toddlers accidentally shot and killed themselves in 19 cases, and in two other instances they killed two people. Meanwhile, a report in the Guardian said there were only three Islamic terrorist related shootings in 2015.
In May 2015, two ISIS gunmen opened fire outside a Muhammad art exhibit event at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, followed by a lone gunman opening fire at two military installations in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Finally, two gunmen with links to ISIS opened fire at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California in December 2015.
A total of 19 people were killed in these three terrorist related shootings.
Thus on a simple conclusion these reports suggest that US toddlers shot and killed more people last year than Islamic terrorists.
An analysis by New York Times, of child shooting deaths, shows that about 71% of the times they happen in the shooter/victim’s home. This shows the callous attitude of adults when it comes to safe storage of arms and ammunition, the report adds.
On an average, 30 people die every day in the US, in gun related violence.