NCJ Number
204855
Date Published
January 2004
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This report provides data on the number and distribution of firearm injuries and deaths in the United States, firearm injuries and deaths among youth, the costs of firearm-related injuries, the public health effects of gun ownership, and firearm laws and regulations.
Abstract
In 2001, there were 29,573 gun-related deaths in the United States, representing 1 of every 5 injury deaths in the country. In that year, 57 percent of all gun deaths were suicides, and 38 percent were homicides. Approximately 3 percent of firearm fatalities in 2001 were unintentional, claiming the lives of 802 people and disproportionately affecting males. In 2002, there were an estimated 58,841 nonfatal firearm injuries treated in emergency departments. Between 1993 and 2001, gun-related deaths declined 25 percent. Among 36 high-income and upper-middle-income countries, the United States has the highest overall gun mortality rate, 8 times higher than in other high-income countries. The hospitalization costs associated with firearm-related injuries in 1997 exceeded $800 million. In 2001, homes with guns were three times more likely to have a homicide of a household member than in homes without guns; the risk of suicide of a household member increased by about five times for homes with guns. In discussing firearm laws and regulations, this paper briefly reports on the findings of various evaluations of gun laws and issues of regulation, litigation, and the legal status of gun control laws under the Second Amendment. 81 references