17:50, UK, Thursday 10 March 2016

Jamie Gilt is a vocal gun-rights advocate


By frank

A Florida mother who runs a "gun sense" Facebook page is recovering after she was shot in the back by her four-year-old son while she was driving.

Police saw Jamie Gilt in distress in her pick-up truck on Tuesday afternoon in Putnam County.

The 31-year-old said she had been accidentally shot by her son, who was sitting in the back seat.

Deputies say a .45-calibre handgun was on the floor of the vehicle, which had been hauling a horse trailer.


Ms Gilt's Facebook page, "Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense"

Ms Gilt was taken to a Gainesville hospital, where she was in a stable condition.

The boy wasn't harmed and he was reunited with family members.

The Department of Children and Families is investigating the incident.

Authorities say Ms Gilt could be arrested if she is found to have been negligent in allowing the boy to get his hands on the gun.

Putnam County Sheriff's Office Capt Joseph Wells told the Florida Times-Union she could face a first-degree misdemeanour charge.

It carries penalties of up to a year in jail, a year of probation and a fine of $1,000.

Ms Gilt is the administrator of a Facebook page called Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense.

It features such posts as "My right to protect my child with my gun trumps your fear of my gun."

During a debate about guns on her Facebook page on Monday, Ms Gilt wrote: "Even my 4 year old gets jacked up to target shoot with the .22."

Scores of vitriolic and mocking comments were left on Gilt's now-closed Facebook page after the