A Child Dies From A Gun Accident Every Other Day
USA Today and The Associated Press team up to analyze just how many tragedies have involved minors and accidental shootings.
The Associated Press/USA Today:
Gun Accidents Kill Kids Every Other Day
[Bryson Mees-Hernandez's death] could be blamed on many factors, from his grandmother’s negligence to the failure of government and industry to find ways to prevent his death and so many others. The Associated Press and the USA TODAY Network set out to determine just how many others there have been. The findings: During the first six months of this year, minors died from accidental shootings — at their own hands, or at the hands of other children or adults — at a pace of one every other day, far more than limited federal statistics indicate. (Foley, Fenn and Penzenstadler, 10/14)
The Associated Press/USA Today:
The Federal Government Knows Surprisingly Little About Gun Accidents
It's the kind of information you might expect from long-range government research: On average, one American child or teenager is killed or injured every day in an accidental shooting. The most common victims are ages 3 or 16. And the shootings happen most frequently in their own homes.Yet for the most part, such government research doesn't exist. (Paine, 10/14)
Arizona Republic:
When A Child Is Shot, Everyone Feels The Pain: Arizona's Minors, First Responders Touched By Accidental Shootings
In Arizona, 19 children under 18 were involved in accidental shootings from Jan. 1, 2014, to June 30, 2016, according to an analysis by the Associated Press and the USA TODAY Network. Those shootings resulted in the deaths of three children and one adult. Another 14 children and one adult were injured.Nationally, at least 1,020 children under age 18 have been involved in accidental shootings during that time, according to the analysis. That translates to at least eight shootings by or involving a minor each week. (Jeong ,10/14)
