According to investigators, Gilt was driving a four-door pickup truck and hauling a horse trailer about 3 p.m. when the child gained access to a .45-caliber handgun, accidentally shooting her from the back seat, Raw Story reports.
Gilt, noticeably frantic inside her pickup, was spotted by a Putnam County sheriff’s deputy. The truck was partially parked in a travel lane on Florida 20, authorities say.
Fortunately the bullet passed through her torso and she is expected to survive.
Gilt was shot through the seat and the bullet went through her back, Sheriff’s Capt. Joseph Wells said, according to The Washington Post. He added that there was a booster seat in the back of the truck, but the boy wasn’t strapped in when the deputy arrived to help.
In a statement, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department said that the deputy provided first aid until paramedics arrived. Gilt was then taken to University of Florida Health in Gainesville, where she was reported to be in stable condition. Her son was unharmed.
She and her son were on their way to pick up a horse at a relative’s house when the accident occurred.
Before being sent to the emergency room, Gilt, 31, told police that she’d been shot by her son.
The child was returned to his family, who met with officials with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Victim Services Specialists, according to police. The Florida Department of Children and Family Services was also informed, and police are trying to find out how the child managed to get hold of the gun and whether this incident warrants criminal charges.
Florida law states “it is a misdemeanor for a person to store or leave, on a premise under his or her control, a loaded firearm in such a manner that it is likely that a child can gain access to the firearm.
“Questions that law enforcement will have to consider center around how the firearm is secured, where was it carried inside the truck, and lastly, exactly how did the child come in possession of the gun?”
Prior to the accident, Gilt took to the social media, boasting about how her son loves guns, The New York Daily News reports.
“Even my 4 year old gets jacked up to target shoot with the .22,” she posted on Facebook Monday. This was in the middle of a heated online debate about guns and self-defense. Gilt, who lives in Jacksonville, maintained she has the right to shoot anyone who threatens her and her family, and added that she’s teaching her kids how to do the same.
She also runs another page on Facebook — “Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense,” where she spouts pro-gun opinions. The page includes a number of posts claiming the government plans to confiscate American’s guns.
In fact, her social media presence is dotted with a lot of pro-gun messages, Second Amendment memes and posts boosting the NRA, and photos of her posing with guns.
Wells noted that this was an accidental shooting, not a criminal event, and her son will not be charged.
Gilt is the legal owner of the gun, and she hasn’t been charged yet, but an investigation is ongoing. Deputies do say that she may face charges in the incident, Raw Story reports.
