Firearm availability and unintentional firearm deaths

Background: Between 1979 and 1997, almost 30000 Americans died from uninten tional firearm injuries, half of whom were under 25 years of age and 4600 o f whom were less than 15 years old. Purpose: To explore the association bet ween state firearm levels and rates of unintentional firearm deaths by age group, accounting for several potential confounders. Methods: The study use d a proxy for firearm availability and pooled cross-sectional time-series d ata on unintentional firearm deaths for the 50 United States from 1979 to 1 997. Negative binomial models were used to estimate the association between firearm availability and unintentional firearm deaths. Results: A statisti cally significant and robust association exists between gun availability an d unintentional firearm deaths for the US as a whole and within each age gr oup. Multivariate analysis found that, compared to states with the lowest g un levels, states with the highest gun levels had, on average, 9 times the rate of unintentional firearm deaths. These results hold among men and wome n, for Whites and African Americans. Conclusion: Of the almost 30000 people who died in unintentional firearm deaths over the 19-year study period, a disproportionately high number died in states where guns are more prevalent . The results suggest that the increased risk of unintentional violent deat h among all age groups is not entirely explained by a state's level of pove rty, urbanization, or regional location. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.