Skip to main content skip navigation
  • Account
    • Login
    • Manage
  • Subscribe
    • JUSTINFO
    • Register
  • Shopping Cart
  • Contact Us
    • Email
    • Feedback
    • Chat
    • Phone or Mail
  • Site Help
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Office of Justice Programs header with links to bureaus/offices: BJA, BJS, NIJ, OJJDP, OVC, SMART Office of Justice Programs BJA BJS NIJ OJJDP OVC SMART Office of Justice Programs
Advanced Search  Search Help
    Browse By Topics  down arrow
  • A–Z Topics
  • Corrections
  • Courts
  • Crime
  • Crime Prevention
  • Drugs
  • Justice System
  • Juvenile Justice
  • Law Enforcement
  • Victims
CrimeSolutions
Add your conference to our Justice Events calendar
  • ABOUT NCJRS
  • OJP PUBLICATIONS
  • LIBRARY
  • SEARCH Q & A
  • GRANTS & FUNDING
  • JUSTICE EVENTS
Home / Publications / NCJRS Abstract

PUBLICATIONS

Register for Latest Research

Stay Informed
Register with NCJRS to receive NCJRS's biweekly e-newsletter JUSTINFO and additional periodic emails from NCJRS and the NCJRS federal sponsors that highlight the latest research published or sponsored by the Office of Justice Programs.

NCJRS Abstract

The document referenced below is part of the NCJRS Virtual Library collection. To conduct further searches of the collection, visit the Virtual Library. See the Obtain Documents page for direction on how to access resources online, via mail, through interlibrary loans, or in a local library.

1 record(s) found

 

NCJ Number: 185663 Add to Shopping cart Find in a Library
Title: Fatal Firearm Injuries in the United States 1962-1994
Author(s): Robin M. Ikeda M.D.; Rachel Gorwitz M.P.H; Stephen P. James M.D.; Kenneth E. Powell M.D.; James A. Mercy Ph.D.
Date Published: 1997
Annotation: Deaths due to firearm injuries represent an increasingly important public health problem, with injuries from firearms being the ninth leading cause of death overall in the United States in 1994 and the fourth leading cause of years of potential life lost before 65 years of age.
Abstract: Information was obtained from detailed mortality tapes prepared by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. During the 33-year period covered by the report, the total number of firearm deaths increased by 130 percent, from 16,720 in 1962 to 38,505 in 1994. Data showed suicide and homicide were responsible for most firearm fatalities throughout the 33-year period and accounted for 94 percent of the total in 1994. Fluctuations and the overall increase in rates of total firearm-related mortality most closely resembled the pattern of firearm-related homicide. Although suicide rates were high and gradually increased over time, they varied less than homicide rates. Rates for unintentional deaths from firearms, deaths during legal intervention, and deaths of undetermined intent were low and generally declined over the study period. Firearm-related mortality affected all demographic groups, but the greatest increases in recent years were among teenagers between 15 and 19 years of age, young adults between 20 and 24 years of age, and older adults 75 years of age and older. Rates of overall firearm-related mortality for young people between 15 and 24 years were higher between 1990 and 1994 than at any other time during the 33-year period. For those between 15 and 19 years of age, increases in firearm-related homicide, suicide, and unintentional injury deaths were especially great. The increase in firearm-related homicide in this age group occurred among all race and sex groups. For the elderly, rates of suicide by firearm were particularly high, and increases occurred in all race and sex groups except black females for whom the number of suicides was too small to produce stable rates. If the trends continue, firearm-related injuries may become the leading cause of death attributed to injuries by the year 2003, surpassing injuries due to motor vehicle crashes. The data are intended to help public health practitioners, researchers, and policymakers deal with the problem of and prevent firearm-related deaths in the United States. 15 references, 15 tables, and 15 figures
Main Term(s): Crime prevention measures
Index Term(s): Fatalities; Firearm-crime relationships; Firearms deaths; Homicide; State-by-state analyses; Suicide; United States of America; Violence prevention; Violent crime statistics; Violent crimes; Weapons violations
Sponsoring Agency: Ctr's for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Atlanta, GA 30333
Sale Source: Ctr's for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30333
United States of America
Page Count: 63
Format: Document
Type: Statistics
Language: English
Country: United States of America
Note: Violence Surveillance Summary Series, No. 3
To cite this abstract, use the following link:
http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=185663

*A link to the full-text document is provided whenever possible. For documents not available online, a link to the publisher's website is provided. Tell us how you use the NCJRS Library and Abstracts Database - send us your feedback.




Find in a Library

You have clicked Find in a Library. A title search of WorldCat, the world's largest library network, will start when you click "Continue." Here you will be able to learn if libraries in your community have the document you need. The results will open in a new browser and your NCJRS session will remain active for 30 minutes. Learn More.

You have selected:

This article appears in

In WorldCat, verify that the library you select has the specific journal volume and issue in which the article appears. Learn How.

Continue to WorldCat

You are about to access WorldCat, NCJRS takes no responsibility for and exercises no control over the WorldCat site.

 
Office of Justice Programs Facebook Page  Twitter Page
  • Bureau of Justice Assistance Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Bureau of Justice Statistics Twitter Page
  • National Institute of Justice Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Office for Victims of Crime Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking Facebook Page Twitter Page
Contact Us | Feedback | Site Map
Freedom of Information Act | Privacy Statement | Legal Policies and Disclaimers
USA.gov | CrimeSolutions
Department of Justice | Office of Justice Programs