NCJ Number
137425
Date Published
Unknown
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The National Center to Prevent Handgun Violence studied 266 unintentional handgun shootings involving children, 140 of whom died and 126 of whom were injured. Data were collected from news reports, police departments, and hospitals.
Abstract
All the shootings examined in this survey were either self-inflicted or inflicted by another child, aged 16 or younger. While the victim's home was the most frequent location of a shooting incident, many children were accidentally shot at the homes of friends and relatives. About half the shootings at the victim's or a relative's home were self-inflicted, while most shootings that occurred at a friend's house were committed by the friend. Nearly half the handguns used were found in bedrooms by children; most incidents occurred when there was no adult home. Boys and children ages 9-16 were most frequently involved in these incidents as both shooters and victims. About 80 percent of the victims were shot by children whose age was within 2 years of their own.