A Pennsylvania couple has been charged after their 4-year-old son shot himself in the head with a handgun they had forgotten on a bedroom floor next to his paint set.

Laura Steele and Michael Lynn were hit with charges of endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the July 6 shooting that seriously injured their son, Ronnie Lynn.

“This was a tragic and unacceptable shooting that ultimately could have and should have been prevented,” District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said in a statement announcing the charges Monday. “There is one simple solution to prevent these types of incidents from happening, and it is to store your firearms in a safe and secure location.”

Police were called to the family’s home in Rostaver Township after the young boy shot himself in the head with a gun that was kept loaded and unsecured under the bed, prosecutors said.

Both of the boy’s parents were home and heard a “pop” before discovering their son bleeding on the floor with the handgun next to him, according to the DA’s office.

Steele allegedly told the police that her son sometimes reached under the bed, where the family kept the gun, to get a paint set, reported CBS Pittsburgh.

The mom said the firearm had been there for so long that she forgot it was there – and she was more concerned that her son would get hurt playing with scissors.

Ronnie was rushed to UPMC Children’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery.

In September, his family issued an update on his condition, saying that he was in physical therapy to regain feeling in his arms and legs, after having to re-learn how to speak.

More than five months after the shooting, the child is still receiving constant medical care. His grandfather told the station WTAE that he is now walking but is still struggling to use his right arm.

Ziccarelli said Ronnie “will likely have to live with this painful reminder for the rest of his life.”

Police said the 4-year-old’s mom blames herself for what happened to her son because she “was too tired to pay attention to her own child.”