Accidental Shooting

[SecularMotion]

The Number of Accidental Shootings Deaths Have Been Declining But Still Persistent Threat

The number of accidental shooting deaths in the United States has been slowly declining for many years, although there was a slight jump in the number of deaths in 2008, the last year for which we have statistics. In 2008 there were 680 accidental shooting deaths in the United States, with more than 15,500 shooting injuries. Most disturbing, perhaps, is the number of children involved in accidental shootings. Every day approximately five children are injured or killed on a nationwide basis as a result of handguns. The primary cause of youth-involved shooting rests with the fact that children find loaded handguns in the home – and natural curiosity leads them down the road to disaster.

http://www.thesurvivorsclub.org/extreme/surviving-accidents/accidental-shooting

[rl6214]

1. There is no such thing as an accidental shooting

They are negligent.

Accidental=oops, my bad.

Negligent=stupid

[SecularMotion]

2. Negligence causes accidents.

[safeinOhio]

4. You mean stupid includes

NRA safety instructors, military and LEOs with lots of training and experts that have been handling weapons professionally for years and years? If they are stupid what does that make you just because it hasn't happen to you YET? I handle guns every day and have not had an accident, yet. That does not mean that I, or you are immune from mistakes. There are no whoops or sorry about thats when a bullet is fired. Now thinking about what I just said, imagine all of the untrained and careless people that own and handle guns.

[RamboLiberal]

6. Think about all the stupid and untrained people who handle or use

cars, motor cycles, boats, lawn tractors & mowers, power saws, knives, swimming pools, etc.

Contrary to popular belief not all cops & military are as well trained on firearms as are many civilians. Firearms instructors, cops, military, civilians the day they allow their familiarity to allow themselves to become complacent will have that ND.

ND's happen but there is no excuse IMHO for anyone to be injured or killed by them if one has trained themselves to be anal about gun safety in all other regards.

Want to see an excellent safety record - just look at the shooting sports. I can't remember the last time I read of an accident. In the nearly 15 years I've been shooting weekly in the warmer months I know of only 1 gunshot injury on my local ranges and that was a bullet to leg on holstering of the gun owner.

[flamin lib]

8. Careful! You're starting to sound rational and that's not always tolerated here. nt

[rl6214]

9. I guarantee you I am better trained and I train more

than most "experts that have been handling weapons professionally for years and years" How often to those "professionals" train with their weapons? Once a year when they qualify, shooting 50 rounds to satisfy their department?

I fire tens of thousands of rounds yearly. I, as you have not had a ND, yet. You need to make sure your head is in the game every time you are handling a firearm and every ND is a result of mistakes, not accidents.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

3. The NRA is the #1 group responsible for training adults and children about firearm safety.

They have programs for adults, concealed carry, advanced skills, marksman, hunting, and young children (Eddie Eagle program). They do more and spend more than any other group promoting and teaching firearm safety and laws and what to do when an unexpected firearm is encountered.

Accidental (or negligent) incidents seem to drop every year despite the continual proliferatoin of firearms. I'd have to say the NRA does a pretty good job on this front.

In fact, before the NRA was forced to politicize itself due to encroaching gun control, firearm safety and hunting/marksman courses were about all they did. They were just a big club for shooters. The real people responsible for turning the NRA into a powerhouse and political machine are the anti-rights gun control groups. Ultimately, gun control is responsible for creating/empowering the NRA-ILA (The NRA's lobbying faction).

[X_Digger]

5. Not sure about the author's research..

"A requirement that every hunter attend a gun safety class before being issued a hunting license could go a long way toward reducing the number of hunting accidents, but the logistics of such a proposal, as well as the cost involved, make this an unlikely scenario. "

Actually, the author is about 20 years out of date. Most states require one to either have a hunter safety education course or be born before a certain date (1971 in Texas).

[RamboLiberal]

7. +1 and it has greatly reduced hunting accidents

[ileus]

10. Kid with a gun = accident and parental negligence

Secure your firearms people....it's not that hard. I have 1600 bucks in my safes....well worth not losing one of my kids.

[Kennah]

11. 40K highway deaths, 40% alcohol related, and no one even gives a rip

Perspective is everything

[GreenStormCloud]

12. I call BULLSHIT on that number.

Go to http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/nfirates2000.html and insert whatever parameters you want to research. I checked "unintentional" "Firearm" and age 0 to 12. There were 554 gunshot injuries to children under 12 and 54 fatalities. That is far less than five per day. Child is conventionally used to mean a person below the age of puberty. To get the number higher and create a sense of alarm they are using a higher age to define a "child". That is a common tactic of anti-gun groups.

[Euromutt]

13. Even if you allow for "children" including everything under 15...

...you're still looking at an average of 800 wounded/year from 2001-2009, and 69 killed from 1999-2007; 869 / 365 = ~2.4 / day. To reach the numbers claimed in the OP, you have to at least count 15-17 year-olds, which is stretching the term "child," and very likely 18-19 year-olds as well, which takes the term "child" beyond breaking point, since you're now counting legal adults as "children."