Child Fires Loaded Gun He Found in Couch at IKEA, Prompting Investigation

A child in an Indiana IKEA store reportedly found a loaded gun inside of a couch and fired it inside the building.

The whole incident took place in an IKEA location in Fishers, Indiana. According to a report by CNN, a six-year-old boy unearthed the handgun from between the cushions of a sofa on the show floor.

Another customer had sat down to test the seat out earlier in the day, but when he got up he hadn't noticed that his weapon was missing.

"A customer accidentally dropped the gun into a couch and when he got up, he didn't realize that the gun had fallen off of his person," confirmed Sgt. Tom Weger of the Fishers Police Department. "A child found the gun in the couch after he resumed shopping and subsequently fired the gun."

Thankfully, neither the boy nor anyone else in the area was hurt. Indiana law clearly dictates that a license is required to carry a handgun in public. Police could not confirm that the man who owned the gun had such a license, nor whether any charges would be placed against him for negligence.

"It's important to remember that if you are going to carry a firearm on your person, that you make sure you're under control of it at all times," Weger told WTTV. "It's just part of gun ownership, responsible gun ownership."

Weger added that his department has "forwarded the information to the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office and they will review the case and decide what charges if any are appropriate."

A spokesman for IKEA said that the store has a strict policy against firearms and other weapons within the store. The company said it puts safety at the top of its priorities, and apologized to all involved.

"We take this incident very seriously and we have offered the family of the child involved our sincerest apologies," read a company statement. It later added that IKEA employees are expected to perform routine "safety walks" and audits.

The KEA franchise is reportedly cooperating with police on the investigation.

Over four months after the Parkland, Florida school shooting, gun laws continue to be a major issue of debate across the country. Last week, three people were killed in a shooting at a Walmart parking lot in Alabama. Earlier this month, while trying to apprehend a suspected shooter at the San Diego Marathon, a police officer accidentally shot himself in the foot instead.

That's not the only instance of an officer of the law mishandling a firearm. In that same week, an FBI agent made headlines when his handgun fell out of his waistband while he was dancing at a club. The weapon went off as it hit the ground, shooting a bystander in the leg.