A routine seat belt stop in St. Paul turned into a scare for officers Monday afternoon when a toddler in the back seat pulled a handgun out of a diaper bag, according to court documents. Police had stopped the vehicle on Thomas Avenue near Galtier Street after noticing the driver was not wearing a seat belt and that three children younger than 3 were riding in the back. An officer told the child to put the gun down, and police then recovered the firearm from the car and took the 37-year-old driver into custody. His bail was set at $5,000.
Court filings state the handgun’s magazine contained six rounds, with no round in the chamber. When officers asked where the weapon came from, one child pointed to the diaper bag. The driver, a St. Paul man, told officers he did not have a driver’s license and said he kept the gun by the diaper bag because he had been pulled over and had been receiving death threats. Officers also found there were outstanding warrants for him. He is now charged with one count of endangerment of a child by firearm access and one count of carrying a pistol without a permit, both gross misdemeanors, as reported by CBS Minnesota.
What the charges mean under state law
Under Minnesota law, allowing a child younger than 14 to access a loaded firearm can be prosecuted as child endangerment. That offense can carry up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $3,000. Carrying a pistol in public without a permit is also treated as a gross misdemeanor under state statute. The relevant provisions are laid out in Minn. Stat. 609.378 and Minn. Stat. 624.714.
Wider context and safety advice
Public-health groups and pediatricians have long warned that unsecured firearms are a frequent source of injury for very young children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that firearms are a leading cause of death for U.S. children and urges that guns be stored safely and locked. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that clinicians counsel families to keep firearms locked and unloaded, with ammunition stored separately. A randomized trial published in JAMA Pediatrics found that when counseling was combined with providing free gun locks, secure-storage rates increased.
For parents and caregivers looking for practical help, national efforts such as Project ChildSafe provide free gun locks and educational materials. Additional guidance is available from the CDC and the AAP.
The defendant remains in custody on $5,000 bail and faces gross-misdemeanor charges, with future filings and court dates set to determine how prosecutors will proceed. For authorities and health experts alike, the incident highlights how quickly an everyday situation can become dangerous when a gun is within reach of a toddler. Local law enforcement and public-health groups continue to stress the importance of keeping firearms unloaded, locked, and stored separately from ammunition, particularly in homes and vehicles where children are present.
