Maybe New Jersey is to blame?

A young Mom takes a group of kids to the Walmart in Hayden, Idaho including her 2-year-old boy. The boy starts exploring her purse, which, in most cases, means the keys fall out or the credit cards get scattered and the child comes away learning you don’t play with mommy’s purse.

Not this time.

“A small child accessed a concealed weapon that was inside the victim’s purse and discharged it, striking the victim. And she’s deceased on scene,” explained a police officer.

The mom probably had the gun to protect herself and her children, and she had every right to carry it.

The police don’t want to blame the victim, but what else can they say?

“I’m a big proponent of a concealed weapon for your own safety,” said the officer. “However, you have to be responsible. Unfortunately, all the precautionary measures weren’t taken to ensure the safety of the weapon.”

If only you could buy a childproof gun. It would make sense in a country where so many moms carry them.

It turns out they do exist, some of them can sense fingerprints. One model uses a special wrist watch so that the gun can be fired only when it’s in your hands. As soon as the gun loses radio contact with the watch, it is automatically deactivated.

So the smart guns exist, but there is extreme pressure not to sell them because of a law in New Jersey which says that the moment any company sells a smart gun, all guns shops in New Jersey must begin to convert their inventory to smart guns. Maybe it’s time to repeal that law and let the market decide.