US child kills sister with gun he got as a gift

BURKESVILLE, Kentucky: A 5-year-old US boy accidentally shot his 2-year-old sister to death with a rifle he had received as a gift last year, authorities said.
The children’s mother was home Tuesday but had stepped onto the porch for “no more than three minutes,” Cumberland County Coroner Gary White told WKYT-TV.
White told the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper the boy received the .22-caliber rifle, especially made for children, as a gift. He said the rifle was kept in a corner, and the family didn’t realize a bullet was left inside it.
White said the shooting was an accident. He did not return a telephone call from The Associated Press on Wednesday.
State police said the shooting occurred when the boy was “playing” with the rifle. It is not clear whether any charges will be filed, said Kentucky State Police spokesman Trooper Billy Gregory.
White identified the gun as a Crickett, referring to a company that specifically makes guns, clothes and books for children. “It’s a little rifle for a kid. ... The little boy’s used to shooting the little gun.”
Keystone Sporting Arms produced 60,000 Crickett and Chipmunk rifles in 2008, according to its website. It also makes guns for adults.
The company’s slogan is “my first rifle,” and its website has a “Kids Corner” section with photos of children at shooting ranges and on bird and deer hunts.
“The goal of KSA is to instill gun safety in the minds of youth shooters and encourage them to gain the knowledge and respect that hunting and shooting activities require and deserve,” the website said.
No one at the company answered the phone Wednesday.