COLUMBUS, Ohio — LaShawndra Allen’s entire world could’ve changed in a matter of seconds and inches.
“No amount of precaution is too much when it comes to the safety of the children,” she said.
Allen said she just dropped her kids off at their father’s house, Matthew Rivas.
In the video given to us by the Columbus City Attorney’s office, it shows two young children playing in a living room. A child then finds a gun within the cushion of a couch and fires it nearly missing his face.
A few moments later, the video shows Rivas pick up the gun, and the trigger is pulled, firing another bullet.
No one was hurt, but the boy did suffer some burns and short-term hearing loss.
"That fast…cause I was still in the house, I mean I was in the house for five minutes...when it happened,” said Allen.
According to City Attorney Zach Klein, the gun belonged to Rivas. He pleaded guilty in the first case involving the city of Columbus’ new safe storage ordinance.
“It's a matter of millimeters, centimeters that the bullet grazes by his head. This could've ended in significant bodily injury, death,” said Klein.
The ordinance penalizes individuals who don't safely store a gun out of reach of children.
“We have parental responsibility, on the one hand, to make sure our kids are safe, and ask the right questions. We have a societal responsibility to make sure we have the right laws on the books,” said Klein.
"As a parent, it is our job to protect our children, and you don't want to have to live with the guilt of knowing you're the reason that your child is not here,” said Allen.
That’s why she is preaching proper gun safety to all parents.
10TV spoke with Eric Delbert, the owner of L.E.P.D. Firearms and Range, who said there is no reason why guns should not be cared for safely.
"These locks, and locks similar to it always come with a new firearm, and always come with a used one,” said Delbert. “If someone can't afford a lock, I’ll give them one come into the store we'll give them a lock.”
Allen said every parent who owns a gun needs to keep it locked away.
"No matter how far that gunlock or gun safe is out of your reach it's better than losing your child,” said Allen.