A couple in Indiana has been charged with criminal recklessness and child neglect after filming their 1-year-old baby playing with a real gun.
The Indiana couple have been identified as Michael Barnes and Toni Wilson. Officials in Evansville have taken the duo into custody after a video revealed that the baby was instructed to put the .40 caliber handgun in his mouth and make sounds as if the weapon was firing.
"Evansville couple arrested after police discover a video of the woman's 12 month old son playing with a handgun," tweeted Evansville Police.
The video was found by the authorities on 19-year-old Barnes' mobile phone. Barnes was arrested after he tried to peddle a handgun to an undercover cop. The transaction had been made via social media.
The video's background also shows the baby's mother 22-year-old Wilson encouraging the infant to put the muzzle inside his mouth. Alarmingly, neither of the parents tried to stop the baby from playing with the dangerous weapon.
"Barnes can be heard telling the child to say "pow" on multiple occasions while the child plays with the gun. The video also shows the child placing the muzzle of the gun in his mouth. At no point does Barnes try to stop the child from playing with the gun," per a statement released by Evansville Police.
The police have not revealed if the gun was loaded or empty. On being questioned, Wilson told officers that she thought it was a pellet gun.
Barnes was wanted for robbery and has been taken into custody for carrying a handgun sans permit within 500 feet of a school, for resisting law enforcement and for carrying a handgun without permit.
The couple also face multiple charges for criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, child neglect and allowing a child to possess a firearm.
The one-year-old baby boy has been put in emergency care along with the couple's 1-month-old twins.
Check out the video of the baby playing with the handgun below.
