Politics

Arizona Dad Accidentally Shoots Daughter Teaching Her ‘Gun Safety’

(KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

Phillip Stucky Contributor
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Arizona dad Eldon Mcinville accidentally shot his six-year-old daughter in the stomach with a 12-gauge shotgun on Thursday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Mcinville was formally charged with child abuse and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the report. He told police that he was cleaning his recently purchased weapon for the first time when he slipped, accidentally triggering the gun to go off while it was pointed at his daughter. (RELATED: Anti-Gun Group Surrounds Indianpolis With $100,000 Ad Campaign As NRA Convention Starts)

Mcinville’s daughter suffered small bowel and colon injuries, along with a fractured pelvic bone. She spoke to the police without crying while she was transported to the hospital, according to the report.

“[Mcinville] advised that he had the victim in his room and was teaching her gun safety,” police reported in a probable cause statement. Police also reported it was likely that the victim would undergo multiple major surgeries to repair the damage and is likely to be in the hospital for a few months.

Gun control has been a strong point of contention in the Democratic primary for 2020. Sen. Kamala Harris pledged that she would issue an executive order that would mandate background checks for anyone who sells more than five guns a year.

“They took fugitives off the list of prohibitive people. I’d put them back on the list, meaning that fugitives from justice should not be able to purchase a handgun or any kind of weapon,” she said during a CNN town hall.