BRUNSWICK HILLS, Ohio — As you walk inside Parma Armory Shooting Center, in large letters, you see gun safety starts here.
“Without having proper training and safety and learning the safety rules, there’s always that element where somebody can get hurt,” said Parma Armory Shooting Center Instructor William Ortiz.
For the last three years, Ortiz has been an instructor at the shooting center, where he’s taught a lot of classes and emphasized safety at each one.
“I have a lot of people who are very nervous. Three feet in front of you, you’re holding a live firearm. There’s an explosion, a ball of fire, a very loud noise; something you know that has been said to kill somebody,” said Ortiz.
The reason is because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say unintentional injury is a leading cause of death among U.S. children and teenagers between the ages of 0 and 17.
The report also finds firearms are a leading injury method that’s taking young kids’ lives, including the 3-year-old in Brunswick Hills News 5 reported on Wednesday evening.
RELATED: 3-year-old boy dies after accidentally shooting himself in Brunswick Hills
“I know I’m not the first chief in America, in Cleveland area that had a tragedy like this happen in their community, and it is a big loss for our community,” said Brunswick Hills Police Chief Tim Sopkovich.
Around 5 p.m. Wednesday, Brunswick Hills Police said they got a call that a 3-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the chest with a gun.
Sopkovich believes it was a semi-automatic pistol that was left in a garage, but it's unclear how the child got it and who owns it.
“Right now, our investigations believe that you know the weapon was just unattended on the workbench, and a child got access to it,” said Sopkovich.
As Brunswick Hills Police continues investigating this case, Sopkovich is sending a reminder about proper gun safety storage.
Here at the Parma Armory Shooting Center, Ortiz said you can do this by storing your gun in a standard four-combination lock case or lock box and even using a gun lock.
“There’s a lot of options that are out there. It’s just taking the time to look for the option and actually utilizing it,” said Ortiz.
Now, if you plan to use a gun to defend yourself, Ortiz recommends storing your gun in a case rather than using the gun lock so you can have quick access if you’re in a difficult situation.
