In Light Of Broken Arrow Accidental Shooting, Expert Stresses Gun Safety

Broken Arrow Police are trying to figure out how a 2-year-old boy got of his parents' gun and shot himself.

Investigators believe the tragic accident could have been prevented.

Gun experts say one of the basic responsibilities for gun owners is to make sure it does not end up in the wrong hands.

A tragic scene rocked a Broken Arrow family and community Tuesday night.

"I just can't imagine going through what they're going through," Casey Smith said. "My husband and I, we talked about it and we prayed about it together just for them to have their sanity and be at peace with it."

Police said a 2-year-old boy who was home with one of his parents grabbed a small-caliber handgun and shot himself.

3/12/2014 Related Story: Neighbors React To Accidental Shooting That Killed BA Toddler

Investigators are still trying to figure out how he got the gun and was able to pull the trigger.

"I've got three kids of my own at the house and they're all well past that age, but I remember very well the steps I went through when they were young," 2A Shooting General Manager Eric Fuson said.

Fuson said the death is a tragic reminder that safety should be top priority for all gun owners.

"It's just like any other thing, household chemicals that you would keep," he said. "You want to make sure that you discuss it with your kids as early as possible."

Fuson said he doesn't know the details surrounding the Broken Arrow shooting, but he adds steps can be taken to prevent a child from ever pulling the trigger.

Start by using the gun-issued safety.

"It prevents a magazine from being introduced into the firearm," he said. "It prevents a round of ammunition from being loaded into the chamber, so as long as this is installed, there's no way you can make this a functioning firearm."

If you need quick access to your gun, he recommends getting a safe.

The key is to make sure it is always locked.

"It never ceases to amaze me how many people, even people that are licensed to carry a firearm will go home and the second they get home the first thing they do is they take their gun off and lay it down," Fuson said.

People in that Broken Arrow neighborhood say they're planning to get neighborhood

kids together to teach a lesson on gun safety since this tragic shooting could have been prevented.