/ Sincere Smith - Courtesy: Family member
A man whose child died on Christmas from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest is prohibited by law from owning a gun.
Rondell Smith, 30, of Conway was charged with Involuntary Manslaughter after his two-year-old son, Sincere, grabbed a gun off a table, and it fired inside a home on Daisy Lane in Horry County.
Sincere died on the way to the hospital, according to Horry County Coroner Robert Edge.
Horry County police say the gun belonged to Smith.
State Law Enforcement Division records obtained by NewsChannel 15 show Smith is prohibited from possessing or acquiring firearms or ammunition pursuant to the federal Gun Control Act of 1968.
The SLED background check shows drug charges from 2005 and 2006, where Smith was convicted of possession of cocaine once and possesion of marijuana twice. Smith was sentenced to three years in jail, which was lessened to two years probation.
Because he was convicted of a misdemeanor in which he could receive more than two years confinement, Smith is ineligible to ship, transport or receive any firearms or ammunition, according to South Carolina law and the Gun Control Act.
Horry County police have not charged Smith with illegal possession of a weapon, because the crime that he was charged with (Involuntary Manslaughter) was not a violent crime. Smith can only be charged federally.
Police say they are in contact with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives about possible federal charges down the line.
