Daniel Henriksen, 29, from Elgin, Iowa, has been charged with one count of possessing a firearm while an unlawful user of marijuana, according to a complaint unsealed Wednesday in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.
The complaint stemmed from an incident last summer when a 4-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the head with Henricksen’s handgun. The child was transported to the Palmer Lutheran Hospital in West Union, Iowa, where he died.
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, law enforcement officers searched Henriksen’s residence and seized a Glock .45 caliber handgun along with several items of drug paraphernalia, including marijuana smoking devices.
Several of these devices were analyzed at the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory and tested positive for marijuana. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives prohibits all marijuana users from buying or owning guns or ammunition.
If convicted, Henriksen faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, $100 in special assessments and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
Henriksen appeared in federal court in Cedar Rapids Wednesday and was released on bond.
Sad but no worse than when the same thing happens to a boozer’s kid. Hold the man responsible for the child’s death but singling him out for being a stoner just adds insult to injury. Said legislation was only a feel-good measure on behalf of the sanctimonious. Fine, then pull the guns from everyone convicted of public intox or OWI.