Firearms death

Krug, E. G. Firearm-Related Deaths in the United States and 35 Other High- and Upper-Middle-Income Countries.The Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 280, August 5, 1998, p. 401. Reports that the 49th World Health Assembly has declared violence a worldwide public health problem. Using data provided by health officials, a study concludes that firearms death rates are much higher in the United States and that types of death (murder or suicide) as well as rates vary with national income. 

Frattaroli, S., D. W. Webster, and S. R Teret. Unintentional Gun Injuries, Firearm Design, and Prevention What We Know, What We Need to Know, and What Can Be Done. Journal of Urban Health, vol. 79, 2002, pp. 49-59. After surveying the background of this field, the article presents possible explanations for the decline in unintentional i.e., accidental) firearms death and injuries. Possible interventions (including changes in firearms design) are also explored. 

A large coalition of labor, religious, medical, educational, civic, and other groups united to fight gun violence. The coalition pushes a progressive agenda to reduce firearm death and injury, lobbies and provides technical support to advocacy organizations, and has a separate unit, the Educational Fund to End Gun Violence. 

The following graphs and charts provide background on gun-related crime, types of firearms deaths, and young people as firearms victims. There is also information about gun ownership and public support for various gun control or safety measures. 

FIREARM DEATHS OF YOUNG PEOPLE-INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE... 

The graph Types of Firearm Deaths in Children, Top Ten Countries offers a chance to compare both the absolute numbers of firearm deaths of children among different countries and to compare the relative proportions of the different types of deaths (homicides, suicides, and accidents). First, as is generally expected, the rate of firearm deaths of children per 100,000 in the United States is about three times that of the nearest competitor, Finland. The proportions of homicides, suicides, and accidents vary considerably In the United States, gun homicides of children outpace suicides roughly three to one, but in Norway suicides seem to dominate by about two to one. (It should be noted that because numbers of gun deaths for children are relatively low, there may be considerable variation in relative proportions from year to year.)... 

Suicide accounts for nearly 57% of all firearm deaths in the United States 60% of all suicides involve firearms. 

There is little disagreement that a significant number of deaths and injuries are caused by firearms, although gun deaths peaked at about 40,000 in 1995 and then started to decline. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), firearms are the second leading cause of injury death in the United States although the overall homicide rate as well as the firearm injury rate have continued to decline. 

Kellermann, Arthur L., and Donald T. Reay. Protection or Peril New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 314, June 12, 1986, pp. 1557-1560. Highly influential but controversial study of the risks of keeping firearms in the home. The authors conclude that there are 43 suicides, criminal homicides, or accidental gunshot deaths for every case of homicide for self-protection. 

Points out that the United States has the world s highest rates of firearms-related injury and death. Strong action is needed to address this public health problem, including gun owner training, safety, and storage requirements. 

Help Network Says Firearms Data Gap Makes Reducing Gun Injuries More Difficult. JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 218, March 3, 1999, p. 784. Reports surveys conducted by the Handgun Epidemic Lowering Plan (HELP) that tried to measure accuracy and completeness in the reporting of gun-related deaths and injuries. The study found that the reporting of nonfatal injuries was spotty and that reports often lacked needed information about the type of firearm involved and the circumstances of the injury. 

Fact Sheet Firearm Injury and Death in the United States. Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. Available online. URL http //www.jhsph.edu/gunpolicy/US factsheet 2004.pdf. Updated in January 2004. Gives statistics and trends relating to gun violence in the United States. Overall gun-related deaths have declined by 25 percent between 1993 and 2001. Other topics summarized include effects on youth, public health effects and cost of gun ownership, summary of the effects of different types of gun laws, legal issues, regulation and litigation, and public opinion. 

Rates of Homicide, Suicide, and Firearm-Related Death among Children—26 Industrialized Countries. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 46, February 7, 1997, pp. lOlffi Concludes that the United States has by far the highest rates of child homicide, suicide, and firearms-related deaths among the industrialized nations. 

Vernick, J. S., et al. Unintentional and Undetermined Firearm-Related Deaths A Preventable Death Analysis for Three Safety Devices. Injury Prevention, vol. 9, 2003, pp. 307-11. Concludes that 44 percent of the deaths studied could have been prevented if the gun in question had at least one of the following safety devices personalization, loaded-chamber indicator, or magazine safety. 

Firearm Injury Center Medical College of Wisconsin URL http //www.mcw.edu/fic Phone (414) 456-7676 1000 North 92 nd Street Milwaukee, WI 53226 Dedicated to reducing firearm injuries and deaths by providing comprehensive, objective, accurate information and analysis of firearms and related morbidity and mortality. Operates the innovative... 

Although gun crimes have a higher potential for serious injury or death than other types of violent crimes, the graph Violence by Type of Weapon, 1993-2001 shows that violent crimes involving weapons (and firearms in particular) are a relatively small portion of violent crime as a whole. The rate of firearm violence also seems steadier, perhaps reflecting a relatively hard core of criminals who decide to regularly use guns. 

Firearms Compared to Other forms of Accidental Death, 2002... 

Looking just at accidental deaths from firearms, one can see a steep decrease from about 1970 to 1990, then a leveling, followed by a more gradual decrease in the late 1990s. Depending on where one stands, this decline can either be attributed to increased adoption of gun safety laws or used as an argument that more such laws are unnecessary. 

Death by firearms is the fastest-growing method of suicide. 

It is common knowledge that death due to CO poisoning is painless. The generation of CO in an enclosed space is also well known. Consequently, CO poisoning has emerged as the method of choice for suicides in favor of hanging and firearms. 

Clearly, many Americans believe that the coercive medical control of most (bad) behaviors is justified and proper, because they are diseases, or are caused by diseases, or are the causes of diseases. Barry R. Bloom, dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, states The real culprits behind heart disease, cancer, stroke, and injuries are the underlying causes of these conditions—tobacco use (leading to 19 percent of all deaths), unhealthy diet and inactivity (14 percent), alcohol (5 percent), infectious disease (5 percent), firearms (about 2 percent), and accidents (1 percent).What, one wonders, will people die of after all the preventable causes of diseases have been prevented ... 

Examples of ORM-D materials include low-concentration acids, charcoal lighter, spray paint, disinfectants, and cartridges for small firearms. Even though the container sizes may be small, the products inside can still cause contamination of responders or death and injury if not handled properly. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory is operated through the Department of the Interior and is the only laboratory worldwide that focuses solely on crimes against wildlife. Laboratory expertise in genetic and chemical analysis, as well as firearms, trace evidence, latent prints, and pathology is used to analyze wildlife evidence to identify species and determine cause of death. 

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