Here’s some more data and comparisons on accidental gun deaths from a variety of sources. (Not all numbers are totally in agreement with my previous post.)
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[li]In 1996 fatal firearm accidents also fell to an all-time annual low, 1,134, a 7% decrease from 1995; a 22% decrease from 1986. Since 1930, fatal firearm accidents have decreased 65%, while the U.S. population has more than doubled and the number of firearms has more than quadrupled. (Population: Census Bureau; Firearms: BATF) Other fatal accidents: motor vehicles (43,649), falls (14,986), poisoning (9,510), fire (3,741), drowning (3,488), suffocation on ingested object (3,206), and medical mistakes (2,919).[/li][li] 1995-1996 Trends[/li]From 1995-1996, the annual number of fatal firearm accidents decreased 7% (from 1,225 to 1,134). By comparison, the number of fatal motor vehicle accidents increased slightly (43,363 to 43,649), as did accidental deaths due to falls (13,986 to 14,986), poisoning (9,072 to 9,510), suffocation on ingested object (3,185 to 3,206) and medical misadventures (2,712 to 2,919). Decreasing slightly were accidental deaths due to fires (3,761 to 3,741) and drowning (3,790 to 3,488).
[li]Fatal gun accidents as percentages of accidental deaths nationwide[/li]Of 94,948 fatal accidents nationwide in 1996: firearms (1%), motor vehicles (46%), falls (16%), poisonings (10%), fires (4%), drownings (4%), chokings on ingested objects (3%), and medical mistakes (3%).
[li]Fatal gun accidents as percentages of all deaths nationwide[/li]Of 2,314,690 deaths nationwide in 1996, fatal firearm accidents accounted for 0.05%. Other accidents: motor vehicles (2%), falls (0.6%), poisoning (0.4%), fire (0.2%), drowning (0.2%), suffocation on ingested object (0.1%), and medical mistakes (0.1%).
[li]Annual fatal gun accident rates[/li]In 1996 the fatal firearm accident rate fell to an all-time low (0.4 per 100,000 pop.), an 88% decrease since 1904. Other rates: motor vehicles (16.5), falls (5.6), poisoning (3.6), fire (1.4), drowning (1.3), suffocation on ingested object (1.2), and medical mistakes (1.1%).
[li]Fatal firearm accidents among children (ages 0 to 14)[/li]Fatal firearm accidents fell to 138 in 1996, an all-time low; motor vehicles (3,015), drowning (966), fires (761), suffocation on ingested object (211), falls (111), poisoning (109) and medical mistakes (94). Since 1975, fatal firearm accidents to children have decreased 75%, 24% since 1995.
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