Anti-gun advocated have another argument in their favor after a 12-year-old boy in New Jersey accidentally shot his 9-year-old sister using a 9 mm gun at about noon of Saturday. The gun belongs to the boyfriend of their mother, 33-year-old Catrease Thomas, who is described by neighbors as a good parent.

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Eyewitness News cited a source who said the owner of the gun wasn't home when the boy discovered the unsecured weapon that caused a gunshot wound on the chest of the girl. She was rushed to the University Hospital and remains in critical condition, the New York Times reports.

According to the police, who took Thomas with them and two young boys from their residence along Renner Avenue, the mother was taking a shower when the 12-year-old boy discovered the gun, which was allegedly stolen in Alabama. They did not state if another adult was in the house when the shooting incident occurred.

Commenting on the incident, Minister Thomas Ellis from the same Newark neighborhood and runs Enough is Enough, an anti-gun coalition in the city, said, "It's sad that people will allow people to keep guns in their house unprotected."

He added the gun owner should own up and take responsibility for the accident.

Eugene Venable, Police director of Newark, said in a statement that the department is outraged at the "senseless shooting" incident that could have been avoided if two adults were not careless with the weapon.

"We have a 9-year-old clinging to her life as a result of that carelessness," he stressed.

Sgt. Ronald Glover, spokesman of the Newark Police, said Thomas was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of a weapon. They said another charge would be filed against another adult.

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