US toddler walked around with loaded gun found in nappy bag

A toddler found a loaded handgun in her nappy bag at a daycare centre, police in northern Vermont said.

The grandmother of the 17-month-old girl forgot the weapon was in the bag when she dropped the youngster off at the unit in Beebe Plain, officers said.

The centre’s owner told authorities the child found the gun in the bag, took it out and started walking around with it.

Staff notified her parents and the Vermont Department for Children and Families.

A department worker told police the grandmother placed the handgun in the bag as she was leaving the house in a hurry. A safety lock strap prevented the gun from being fired.

The incident was reported to police by an anonymous caller.