 In 2000, 174 children (0-18) in the United
States died from unintentional firearm-related injuries. Unintentional
injuries are usually caused when children play with guns or are hunting.
Unintentional injuries from firearms represent less than two percent of
all firearm deaths in the U.S. But of this two percent, children and
adolescents are involved in 55% of these deaths. The majority of the
injuries occur to children playing with or showing the weapons to
friends. The easy availability of firearms is believed to be the number
one risk factor for unintentional firearm deaths.
Major Risk
Factors
- Easy availability of and access to firearms.
- Youth living in neighborhoods with high rates
of poverty, social isolation and family violence.
- Youth with little or no adult supervision.
Records Needed
for Case Review
- Scene investigation reports
- Police and crime lab reports
- CPS histories on family, child and
perpetrators
- Names, ages and genders of other children in
home
- Ballistics information on firearms
- Prior crime records in neighborhood
- Juvenile and criminal records of teen and
perpetrators
- Interviews with witnesses
- Information from gang squad
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