A two-year-old Mesa County child was injured Tuesday after picking up and firing a loaded .357-caliber Magnum handgun.

Deputies were called to a shooting in the 600 block of 31½ Road and found the toddler had not been shot, but was injured by the powerful pistol's recoil.

According to their investigation, the child was brought to the residence with a parent to visit friends and wandered into a back bedroom of the home. The child found the loaded .357 handgun in an unlocked drawer, picked it up and pulled the trigger.

The bullet went through a wall of the residence, but did not hit anyone.

The incident prompted the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office to issue a reminder of a few safety tips involving weapons in residences:

Keep all weapons safely locked away and unloaded in the home.

If you are unable to lock your weapons away, keep them out of reach and out of sight.

Keep all ammunition and magazines in a separate location from the weapon itself.