Police on Friday arrested the parents of a 2-year-old child who was killed Wednesday by an accidental gun shot.

Melanie and Joey Tyson were charged with storing a gun in a method accessible to a minor, a class 1 misdemeanor.

The couple lost a 2-year-old son Wednesday after the child and two siblings began playing with a loaded .40-caliber pistol that had been left out. According to police reports, the gun “was discharged by a minor causing the death.” Police have not confirmed whether the child who died was playing with the gun and shot himself or if he was shot by one of his siblings.

Melanie Tyson, 21, was home at the time of the shooting, but in another room, police said.

Joey Tyson, 22, was not in the residence. Police said the gun was his.

For someone with no prior record, a conviction on a class 1 misdemeanor is most likely to result in a suspended sentence and what is known as a “community punishment” — usually probation or some type of community service. For those with criminal records, a class 1 misdemeanor could result in a range of punishments between community service and up to 120 days of active jail time.
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http://sanfordherald.com/pages/full_...ld%92s+parents
North Carolina has a law which makes it illegal for parents to store a gun in a method accessible to a minor.
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“Mainly, it’s just common sense,” said Capt. David Smith of the Sanford Police Department. “Keep guns in a locked box, and keep the ammunition locked up separately.”

Smith said those rules should be followed in any case — but especially when children are present.
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“When a person buys a gun in North Carolina, they have to sign a form stating that they understand they can’t (keep a loaded gun accessible to a minor),” he said.

Williams said state law also requires that guns be stored separate from ammunition — a law that not everyone follows.

“People are so concerned about their homes being broken into now, a lot of them keep their guns close,” he said. “But you can’t do that. If kids find them, it can be a tragedy.”
http://sanfordherald.com/pages/full_...d+face+charges

The loaded gun was left on a bed. The 3 kids (the boy, his 3-year-old sister and 4-year-old brother) were all in the room.

Her MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mel_tyson
His: http://www.myspace.com/43363007
MR. TYSON WANTS HIS SON BACK R.I.P JOSEPH D'ANGLO TYSON (MY HEART, MY BETTER HALF, MY WORLD IS NOW CRUSH AND I FEEL ALONE NOW WITHOUT MY SON :(
Posted at 7:07 AM Oct 2