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A kid finds an abandoned gun — and the mom pulls the trigger to see if it's real
An Atlanta woman fired a gun to see if it was real after her child discovered the firearm in a dressing room. (iStock/Getty Images Plus)

A kid finds an abandoned gun — and the mom pulls the trigger to see if it's real

A 10-year-old boy in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday found an abandoned .22 caliber handgun in a dressing room at an Adidas store in the Lenox Square Mall, WGCL- TV reported.

When the boy brought the handgun to his mother's attention, she picked up the firearm and squeezed the trigger to see if it was real, Atlanta police spokeswoman Stephanie Brown told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

A single round was fired but no one was injured and minimal property damage occurred.

“The weapon did not belong to the family and no charges were filed in this incident,” Brown said. “There was minimal damage to the wall from the accidental discharge.”

The mall's management provided the following statement to WXIA-TV:

Lenox Square management and the store involved are working closely with the Atlanta Police Department to share any information that may be helpful...Lenox Square is committed to providing a safe, quality shopping environment for our guests and employees. We are thankful that there were no injuries as a result of this isolated incident.

The four basic rules of gun safety

Now is a moment to reiterate the four basic rules of gun safety:

  1. Always treat a gun as if it's loaded.
  2. Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot.
  3. Always point your gun in a safe direction.
  4. Know what's in front of and beyond your target.

The mother in this case should have made the assumption that the gun was real and it was loaded, both of which ended up being true. Someone could have been seriously injured — or worse — because this mother allowed curiosity to get the best of her.

Remember: if you or your child find a loaded firearm, do not touch it. Call the police and allow them to unload the gun. This ensures that everyone remains safe.

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