GUN lover Jamie Gilt probably thought things could not get any worse when she was shot by her four-year-old son. She was wrong.

Less than a month after the 31-year-old Florida native was hospitalised, she could be slapped with charges that carry a penalty upwards of 180 days in prison.

Gilt, who was earlier pictured on Facebook holding a rifle in one hand and her child in the other, was shot through the driver’s seat of her car on March 8. Gilt had hidden her loaded .45 handgun under the front seat but the boy found it and fired a single shot that could have been fatal.

Authorities said Gilt was preparing to make a U-turn when she was shot. She was bleeding heavily from her chest but managed to get the attention of a passing police officer by flashing her headlights.

A day before the shooting, Gilt trumpeted the boy’s gun skills on Facebook: “Even my 4 year old gets jacked up to target shoot with the .22.”

Now, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office has recommended Gilt be charged with unsafe storage of a firearm, according to local news reports.

In Florida, it is a crime for a person to store a firearm in a place that can be accessed by children, even if the owner has a license to carry.

The boy’s grandmother Jane Bramble told The Sun earlier this month that the shooting was an “accident and nothing more” and that the boy had no idea he had almost killed his own mother. She said Gilt the incident would not change her daughter’s position on firearms.

“All the gun control people are jumping on this, but it will not change her opinion about owning guns,” the 71-year-old said.

“She is very pro-gun and will not change her opinion about owning them. She will keep her guns and I’m happy that she will.”

Gilt, who ran the Facebook page “Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense”, is believed to be recovering in hospital. She underwent surgery immediately after the shooting.

On social media she shared pro-gun propaganda including the following quotes: “I have a very strict gun control policy — if there’s a gun around, I want to be in be in control of it,” and “My right to protect my child with my gun trumps your fear of my gun.”

Florida newspaper The Gainesville Sun reported Gilt remains heavily medicated and cannot legally be interviewed.

Authorities in Florida are still deciding whether to file charges. They say they hope to speak with Gilt before making their decision.