About 2 years ago I made a visit to my local library and asked for the most recent copy of accidental death statistics.  From the NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL ACCIDENT FACTS, 1998 EDITION I found some very interesting information.

Of all the accidental deaths that occurred in the US for 1996 there were

43363   auto accident deaths
13986   falling deaths
8000    poisonings
3790    drownings
3761    deaths by fire
3185    choking deaths
2712    deaths by medical error (this does not include malpractice!!)
1821     natural environment (lightning etc.)
1225     by firearms
1062     by Suffocation

So, in 1996 Firearms accounted for
Less than 2% of all accidental deaths  for all ages in the US,
Less than 1% of all accidental deaths for children ages 0 to 5 yrs.
Less than 4% of all accidental deaths for children ages 5 to 14 yrs.
Less than 3% of all accidental deaths for children ages 14 to 24 yrs.

Also, firearms accounted for less than 3% of all accidental deaths in the home in 1996.

For Rosie the bitch, 23 children are killed every day in this country with autos.  Less than 5 a day are murdered with firearms, and about the same number are murdered with a weapon other than a gun.  And, the number of accidental gun deaths have gone down dramatically in this country since 1910 even though the population and number of guns in circulation have increased.  

Go to the reference desk of your local library for more information!!!

I like it when they say the gun just went off.

It was an accident!

Also keep in mind accidental firearm death numbers many times include hunting accidents or horseplay, and not some kid finding a loaded gun.

Many, many more kids die drowning in backyard pools, or even 5 gallon buckets, than from firearms.

Yet, where is the outcry to ban swimming pools and buckets?

And when one 15 year old crack dealer shoots another 15 years old crack dealer at 3 a.m., it is NOT a "tragic child gun accident".  It is good riddance.

If the little snot had gone to school, then band or football practice, home to do chores, study, watch a little TV, and gone to bed by 10 p.m., he would be alive today.  But no, instead he is hanging around on street corners at 3 a.m.

Good riddance.

We should be air dropping ammo and supplies into these areas.  Let them remove themselves from our misery.

But a child gun accident... not.

And the Rosies would like to count drug dealers up to age 21 as "children" in those statistics.

Well, when the real statistics are carefully examined, child-gun accidents are very rare, indeed.

No need to go to the library, available online;

http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/af1998.htm

Good info here to.

http://www.gunfacts.org/accidental.htm

Sure helped sway my in-laws. Worried that firearms in the house are sure death for children. Told them to get rid of the pool or we wouldnt visit. Give them credit, they're quite rational, just misinformed. Once informed they decided perhaps the risk was overstated.

Luck
Alac

And actually suicides as well. A guy down the street offed himself. His family wouldn't accept it and eventually got the cause of death labeled as accidental. If he didn't have a gun it would have been some other way - he was very depressed.

Who knows how many others are in those statistics.