Mom shot by 4-year-old was apparent gun rights advocate

MIAMI – A northeast Florida woman whose 4-year-old son accidentally shot her in the back while they were traveling in her pickup truck is apparently an outspoken gun rights advocate.

A community Facebook page listed under Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense was filled with posts advocating for gun rights, including a quote that says “My right to protect my child with my gun trumps your fear of my gun.”

The Associated Press was unable to verify whether the page, which has since been taken down, belonged to Gilt. A person who answered the phone at her house on Thursday morning declined to comment.

Putnam County Sheriff’s investigators were trying on Thursday to determine how the boy got his hands on the gun they say he used to shoot his mother, and wheter charges should be brought against Gilt.

Under Florida law, it is a misdemeanor for someone to store or leave a loaded gun where a child has access to it.

“They must keep firearms secured and locked,” said Putman County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Joseph Wells.

Jamie Gilt, 31, of Jacksonville owns the .45-caliber gun the boy fired on Tuesday afternoon, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Joseph Wells said.

Wells said a deputy saw her behaving frantically inside the truck, which was stopped partially in the road. The deputy then saw she’d been shot in the back and the bullet had exited from her stomach area, Wells said.

Gilt told deputies her son had accidentally shot her, according to Wells. She was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition, but investigators had not been able to interview her, Wells said.

The boy, who wasn’t injured, is with relatives. The Florida Department of Children and Families also is investigating.

Before it was removed from public view, the “Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense” Facebook page featured many posts from other pages supporting gun ownership and vilifying proposals for more gun control. After the news broke about Gilt’s shooting, the posts appeared to be inundated with mocking comments from other Facebook users.

In comments posted March 7 to one post on the page, a user named Jamie Gilt wrote: “I can promise though, if someone breaks into my house, or tries to harm me or my family pretty anywhere, they will be shot and most likely killed. It’s my right to protect my life.” The same user later replied to another comment about teaching children to shoot: “All of ours know how to shoot too. Even my 4 year old gets jacked up to target shoot with the .22.”