Firearm-Related Accidents at Record Lows

Anew report from the National Safety Council shows that accidental firearm-related fatalities continue to decline significantly, even as firearm ownership rises in the U. S. The declining trends reported by the National Safety Council are also supported by research available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the CDC, accidental firearm-related fatalities continue to have the largest percentage decrease of all measured types of accidental fatalities.

Statistics provided in the NSC’s 2007 "Injury Facts" report show a 40-percent decrease in accidental firearm-related fatalities over a 10year period ending in 2005. The report also shows firearm-related accidents involving children ages 14 and under declined 69 percent between 1995 and 2003. The council’s most recent statistics show 109,277 U. S. residents died in accidents of all types in 2005, with less than 1 percent involving firearms.

The most common deadly accidents involved motor vehicles, poisonings, and falls, together claiming 75 percent of all accidental deaths. "By continuing to heighten awareness of gun safety and responsible firearms storage, these record low numbers can be driven even lower, said Doug Painter, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). NSSF directs and funds a number of initiatives focused on firearms safety, including Project Child Safe ®, which, in cooperation with the U. S.

Department of Justice, has distributed more than 35 million free gun locks and gun-safety information kits nationwide. NSSF also distributes safety literature and videos that emphasize outreach to schools. Additional support is provided for hunter-safety programs. "Programs and efforts that communicate the importance of firearms safety have undeniably played apart in bringing these numbers to record lows, and continuing that awareness will only help ensure they continue downward, Painter added.

The NSSF estimates that the number of citizen-owned firearms in the U. S. has risen to more than 290 million, while the number of American households with at least one firearm is now about 47.8 million.