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Gun Safety Seminar Held As Children Accidentally Shot In S.Fla.

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COOPER CITY (CBSMiami) -- A 14-year-old accidentally shot and killed in a Cooper City garage. A 12-year-old accidentally shot by her father in Davie as he tried to teach her about gun safety. A 3-year-old accidentally shot himself in Miami while climbing to find his iPad.

These cases have resonated in the community and in a coincidence, the Broward Sheriff's Office held a long-planned gun safety seminar in Cooper City on Tuesday night to address gun safety for 11 to 14-year-olds.

BSO Sgt. Robert Chenoweth, a Range Master, taught the class to dozens of parents, grandparents and children. He said the most important thing for gun owners to remember is to have a plan if you have a gun.

"It you have children in the house it's not wise at all to have a loaded firearm," Chenoweth said.

The 15-year BSO veteran said there are four key rules for children to remember if they find a gun or are somewhere where someone is playing with a gun.

"Stop. Don't touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult," he said. "If they walk out of here with that and they do it, I'll be happy."

Chenoweth also gave this list of important rules for anyone handling a firearm:

* Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
* Keep your finger off the trigger.
* Don't point a gun at anyone.
* Know what is ahead of and behind your target.

The class focused intently on Chenoweth's words. Rylee Berger, 12, said she hoped to learn the basics of gun safety.

"If you people come and learn about to safely operate a gun, these accidents won't happen," she said.

Parent Ericka Gainor brought her three children to the event. She said she is constantly concerned about her children coming into contact with firearms.

"From 1 to 10, 100 because guns are dangerous and we live in an area of the country where we see that on a daily basis, just how dangerous they are," she said.

The seminar also discussed the differences between toy guns and real guns as well as the responsibility and potential criminal and civil liability gun owners face if they do not properly secure their gun and someone gets hurt.

Related: Investigation Underway After Child Shot In The Head

Chenoweth said the class took on more urgency in light of the shooting death of Charlie Martin, 14, in the garage of a home less than a mile from BSO's Cooper City District Offices, where the seminar was held.

"This was entirely preventable," Chenoweth said. "By taking the simple step of locking up the firearm, this wouldn't have happened."

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