PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia prosecutors last week dropped charges against Nasir Baskerville. In April, police said a 5-year-old boy found and fired Baskerville’s unsecured gun in his home. The child sliced his finger on the firearm’s slide as he fired it.
Baskerville was subsequently charged with reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and a weapons offense, but prosecutors withdrew those charges because they said the child’s family refused to go to court.
It’s a common story in Philadelphia. In the last three years, more than a dozen children have gotten their hands on firearms — some incidents have been deadly, like the July 2023 death of a 2-year-old girl. The toddler’s teenage cousin, who has special needs, fired an unsecured gun and fatally struck the girl. It happened in their grandmother’s home, and the woman, Twanda Harmon, was sentenced to nearly two years in prison.
Gun violence prevention advocates are urging Pennsylvania lawmakers to pass a secure storage law.
“Children are curious, and they don’t know what consequences will happen,” said Adam Garber, executive director of Ceasefire PA, an advocacy group working to end gun violence. “In the case of the firearm, the consequences are severe.”
Garber said there is currently a bill working its way through the state Legislature that would criminally charge those who do not lock up their guns.
“Guns are deadly,” he said. “They are intentionally deadly. They are designed to be deadly and therefore should be secured at all times when not in use. A policy requiring that … is an effective tool to create that kind of lifesaving change.
“In a world where we are seeing more firearms in homes and we haven’t put in place more safeguards like a secure storage requirement, I think this is just predictable.”
Garber believes such a policy could induce societal change and reinforce vigilance among parents.
“It’s like cars,” he said. “We put seat belt requirements in place because it saves lives, so locking up your gun will have the same effect. But unfortunately, due to the opposition from the [National Rifle Association] and others, we have allowed it to be a personal choice.”
The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office offers free gun locks to anyone upon request. Call 215-686-3572 to request one, or pick one up at the Sheriff’s Office, located on the fifth floor of 100 S. Broad St., between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Temple University also has a free gun lock program.