Firearm Related Deaths and Injuries

The American Academy of Pediatrics has compiled some statistics from data focusing on firearm-related deaths and injuries in the last 10 years.

• In 1997 there were 32,436 firearm-related deaths, 4,223 of which were children and adolescents younger than 20 years old.
• Handguns continue to account for the majority of deaths and injuries from firearms in the U.S.
• In 1997, 85% of all homicides and 63% of all suicides for adolescents 15 to 19 were committed with a firearm.
• The U.S. has the highest rates of firearm-related deaths (including homicide, suicide and unintentional deaths) among industrialized countries. The overall rate for U.S. children younger than 15 is 12 times greater than 25 other industrialized countries, and the homicide rate is 16 times higher than all other countries combined.
• In 1994, the mean medical cost per gunshot injury was approximately $17,000, producing $2.3 billion in lifetime medical costs, of which $1.1 billion was paid by U.S. taxpayers.
• In 1997, 306 children and adolescents younger than 20 killed by firearms died as a result of unintentional firearm-related injuries.