FIREARMS ACCIDENTS DECLINE 13% . . . Accidental
firearms fatalities declined to an all-time low
of 700 in 1999, according to the National Safety
Council Injury Facts Report. This total, the
lowest since record keeping began in 1903,
represents a 13% drop from the previous year and
more than a 50% decrease since 1989. “This good
news underscores the importance and effectiveness
of numerous safety courses and education programs
taught by thousands of volunteer hunter education,
NRA, Boy Scout and 4-H safety instructors,” said
Robert T. Delfay, president and CEO of the National
Shooting Sports Foundation. “This decline is in
stark contrast to the misleading numbers published
by anti-gun groups that claim 13 children a day die
from firearms.” Accidental firearms fatalities are
the lowest, by far, of the principal types of
unintentional injury deaths listed in NSC’s report,
including motor vehicle fatal accidents (41,300),
falls (17,100), drownings (4,000), fires/burns
(3,100) and ingestion of food/objects (3,200).