Gilbert family advocates for gun storage law to prevent accidental child deaths

PHOENIX - Phoenix Police are still investigating how a toddler got a gun and shot himself on Oct. 19 – it's a situation a Gilbert family knows all too well.

The toddler shot himself in South Phoenix, and another boy is charged in the shooting. It's one of the many accidental shootings that happen every year in Arizona.

Firearm injury deaths are the second-highest cause of death in kids in this state. The latest numbers from the Arizona Department of Health Services show 59 kids died in this way in 2022. 

Christian Petillo's parents want him to be more than a statistic and are pushing for laws they say will better protect all children.

"Christian was a huge energy," Claire Petillo, his mother, said.

She and Christian's father, Bruce Petillo, light up when talking about their son and what made him so special.

"His laugh, his smile, his giggle, they were huge," Claire said. "Infectious laugh."

Bruce says, "Christian was a very sensitive soul and a very caring soul."

Christian was just 15 when he went to a friend's house in September 2021 for a sleepover. At some point in the night, he was unintentionally shot in the chest by another teen.

"They took him into emergency surgery, but they were preparing us for the worst at that point. I remember going into the chapel and begging God not to take him and, unfortunately, that's not what happened," Bruce said.

It didn't take long after Christian's death for the Petillos to turn their grief into action.

They started advocating for stricter gun laws, spending the last few years pushing to enact Christian's Law in Arizona.

The bill would require gun owners to secure their firearms and keep them out of the hands of children.

Arizona State Representative Nancy Gutierrez, the bill's latest author, says it aims to protect families and not take away any rights.

"Gun safes are expensive. Gun locks are not. So, it is such a simple thing to do, and it absolutely has been shown that that prevents deaths from accidental shootings. I do not know how that would infringe upon anyone's right to bear arms," Rep. Gutierrez said.

The Petillos say shootings, like the most recent one involving the three-year-old boy, could be prevented.

"Any time I hear a story like that, my heart goes out to the parents. Mainly the mom because just the feeling of knowing your kid is hurt just is so frustrating," Claire said.

"We know that Christian's death was preventable. We know that the toddler who was shot a week and a half ago, his injury was preventable. We know that this is going to continue to happen again and again and again unless something is done," Bruce said.

The Petillos said the latest version of Christian's Law will be introduced at the legislative session in January, but they will be heading to Washington D.C. in December to advocate for a national bill regarding gun safety.

In the case from last week involving the toddler, police still have not said how the child being charged got the gun. FOX 10 asked Phoenix Police multiple times if they have determined who owned the gun and how it got into the hands of a toddler and there still is no answer.