Pro-Gun Activist Shot By 4-Year-Old Son To Face Criminal Charge
Jamie Gilt, an outspoken pro-gun activist who was shot earlier this month by her 4-year-old son is facing a criminal charge as a result of the incident say Florida authorities. Gilt, 31-years-old, is known for using social media to brag about her pro-gun views. As the administrator of the Facebook page “Jamie Gilt for Gun Safety,” the pro-gun activist used her social media presence to share her pro-gun views with the world. At one point, she even used her personal Facebook page to brag “Even my 4 year old gets jacked up to target shoot with the.22.”
The pro-gun activist rose to a higher level of notoriety than her minimal Facebook fame had previously afforded when, on March 9, a police officer came upon her vehicle stopped on a road in Putnam County, partially obstructing traffic. When the officer approached the truck, he saw a wounded woman motioning for help from the driver’s seat and an unharmed small child sitting in back.
According to information released by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday, the pro-gun activist had stored her unholstered gun under the front seat of her vehicle. Authorities believe that the gun slid out from its place under the driver’s seat and ended up within the reach of the pro-gun activist’s 4-year-old son as she drove. At some point, the boy unbuckled his booster seat and picked up the loaded, unholstered weapon. Police say that it was then that the child accidentally shot his pro-gun activist mother as she drove; it is believed that he may have been reaching for a toy but found the gun instead.
As a result of the events leading up to her accidental shooting, pro-gun activists Jamie Gilt is now looking at a misdemeanor criminal charge of allowing a minor access to a firearm.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office filed paperwork with local prosecutors on Tuesday requesting that the pro-gun activist be charged with the second-degree misdemeanor, according to Captain Gator DeLoach.
The Captain told reporters that while the sheriff’s office “supports the right of citizens to own and possess firearms,” gun owners have a responsibility to ensure that children don’t get their hands on guns. It is adherence to that responsibility that prevents tragedies, such as the one that resulted in the pro-gun activist being shot and her son having to live the rest of his life knowing he shot his mom.
According to Florida law, it is illegal for a person to leave a loaded firearm in such a manner that it is accessible to children.
Authorities have confirmed that the gun that was used in the accidental shooting of the pro-gun activist was Gilt’s personal weapon and that it was owned legally.
In addition to facing a second-degree misdemeanor, a crime which carries a maximum punishment of 180 days in jail, authorities confirm that child welfare authorities are also investigating the shooting, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department.
Charges haven’t officially been filed against the pro-gun activist, but because the affidavit requesting them has already been submitted to the local prosecuting attorney, they could come at any time.
Not surprisingly, social media users have responded to the news that the pro-gun activist could be facing criminal charges, and their opinions are many and varied. Some social media users are calling for a Go Fund Me account to be set up for Gilt, while others are calling the potential misdemeanor charge not harsh enough.
The media has attempted to contact Jamie Gilt, leaving a voice mail message at a phone number that had been listed as the pro-gun activist mom’s “home phone number” on a police report related to a previous charge of grand theft in Jacksonville. At the time of this article’s publication, the pro-gun activist shot by her 4-year-old had not responded to media requests for comment.
[Image Courtesy Of @tacticaltshirt1/Twitter]
