HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – After a father told police that his 2½-year-old son fatally shot his mother Wednesday night, many asked whether a child that small could even pull the trigger on a gun.
Firearms experts told Local 10 it is not impossible for a 2½-year-old child to pull the trigger on a Glock, which is the type of weapon police said was used in the shooting.
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It takes 5½ pounds of pressure to pull the trigger on an unaltered Glock.
"Chances are a 2- or 3-year-old's hands aren't big enough to get around the grip and trigger, but they could pick it up and pull the trigger several different ways," said firearms instructor Lawton Llewellen.
Using a trigger pull scale, gunsmith Nikko Shoureas showed Local 10 how much pressure it takes.
"It wouldn't take that much strength to pull it," he said.
Local 10 took that scale to T.Y. Park in Hollywood, where several 2½-year-olds easily pulled 5½ pounds.
Experts said if a toddler did pull the trigger, he would likely have gun powder residue on him. Police have not released test results.