Gun owner gets 3 years in prison for accidental death of grandson

A man whose loaded, unlocked shotgun was used in the accidental death of his 5-year-old grandson was sentenced Monday to more than three years in prison for violating Michigan's new gun storage law.

"This tragedy was 100% avoidable," Judge Robert Springstead said. "All you had to do was listen to the people in your life that were telling you to put these loaded guns away."

Braxton Dykstra was shot and killed on April 1 when a 6-year-old cousin got access to a shotgun at Karl Robart's home in western Michigan's Newaygo County. Braxton's 8-year-old sister witnessed the shooting.

In August, Robart pleaded no contest to violating Michigan's gun storage law, one of the first significant convictions since the law took effect in February.

Firearms must be locked up when children are present. The consequences of a violation depend on the details and whether someone is wounded or killed.

Robart, 62, will be eligible for parole after 38 months under the sentence ordered by the judge. A similar case against his wife remains pending.

"There's a lot of things I could tell you. It's not going to change what happened," Robart told the judge, his voice breaking.

Braxton's father, Domynic Dykstra, acknowledged that his son's death wasn't "done maliciously." But he added that most deaths involving drunken drivers aren't malicious, either.

"Owning firearms comes with a great responsibility," Dykstra said in court. "Common sense tells you if you have guns in your room don't let children in there. ... I guess it's not so common anymore, is it?"

At least 21 states have criminal laws related to failing to keep a gun away from children, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.