31-year-old Jamie Gilt was driving down a road in Putnam County on Tuesday when her son managed to get hold of a gun while he was sitting in the back seat of the truck, according to a statement released by the Putnam County Sheriff's Department.
Officials told the Florida Times-Union that the child fired a .45-caliber handgun that he found on the truck's floor into the driver's seat.
"She was shot through the seat and the round went through her back," Sheriff's Captain Joseph Wells said.
The deputy noticed that a truck stopped partially in the travel lanes and a woman in the driver's seat motioning for help. The only other occupant in the vehicle was the boy, who was not harmed.
Authorities said the firearm was legally owned by Gilt, who maintained a Facebook page entitled "Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense," where she regularly posted pro-gun positions.
On her personal Facebook page, Gilt once bragged about her son: "Even my 4 year old gets jacked up to target shoot with the .22."
She appears to maintain a Facebook page called "Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense," which has since been inundated by people criticizing her passion for weapons in light of being shot by her son, Washington Post reported.
Detectives have not yet been able to interview Gilt because of her medical condition.
Florida law makes it a misdemeanor for a person to store or leave a loaded firearm in such a way that a child could gain access to it.
The boy is currently with relatives. The Florida Department of Children and Families also is probing the incident.
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