Accidental gun deaths among children and youth in the United States often reflect unsafe access. Unintentional incidents are more likely when firearms are available in places children can reach, including within homes where another person stores the gun. This page highlights risk patterns for the youngest children and reviews evidence on prevention approaches—such as child access prevention (CAP) laws and safe storage counseling or education—that can lower injury risk. Together, the findings show why safe storage matters.
Key Takeaways
- 0.52 firearm deaths per 100,000 population occurred in the United States in 2022 (ages all, firearms)
- From 2010 to 2021, firearm mortality among children and youth declined in some periods but remained elevated overall; 2019–2021 showed persistent high levels (trend reported in peer-reviewed national analysis)
- In 2022, 20 U.S. states plus DC had child access prevention (CAP) laws or similar policies that can reduce access-related unintentional shootings (policy inventory count)
- A JAMA Pediatrics study reported that implementation of CAP laws was associated with a reduction in firearm fatalities among children (effect size reported as relative change)
- Safe storage counseling programs have produced measurable reductions in child access behavior; one randomized controlled trial reported a 34% increase in the proportion of households using safety practices after intervention
- A randomized trial of a firearm safety education intervention increased safe-storage behaviors by 20 percentage points compared with control (behavior change quantified)
- A cost-benefit analysis estimated that firearm safe storage interventions yield a positive net benefit per household served, with net benefits reported in the study’s economic modeling
- 1 in 4 kids who die from firearm injuries in the U.S. die from an unintentional shooting (share for youth firearm deaths in national analysis)
- Unintentional firearm injuries accounted for 61% of firearm-related deaths among children ages 0–5 years (national study of fatal firearm injuries)
- In a CDC report, 73% of unintentional shootings involved firearms being available where children could access them
- In 2022, 52.7% of U.S. gun owners reported storing at least one firearm loaded and/or unlocked (increases risk for unintentional shootings)
- In the U.S., 17% of gun owners reported having at least one unlocked firearm in their home in 2020 (reported from survey research)
- Households that store guns unlocked have higher child firearm injury risk; a meta-analysis reported pooled evidence of increased risk with unsafe storage practices
Stronger safe storage and child access prevention laws help reduce preventable accidental firearm deaths in children.
Related reading
01 · Category
Mortality Burden1 stats
01
0.52 firearm deaths per 100,000 population occurred in the United States in 2022 (ages all, firearms)
Interpretation
Mortality Burden Interpretation
In the Mortality Burden category, accidental firearm deaths among children resulted in 0.52 deaths per 100,000 population in the United States in 2022, underscoring a measurable but relatively low mortality rate.
02 · Category
Trends And Policy12 stats
01
From 2010 to 2021, firearm mortality among children and youth declined in some periods but remained elevated overall; 2019–2021 showed persistent high levels (trend reported in peer-reviewed national analysis)
02
In 2022, 20 U.S. states plus DC had child access prevention (CAP) laws or similar policies that can reduce access-related unintentional shootings (policy inventory count)
03
A JAMA Pediatrics study reported that implementation of CAP laws was associated with a reduction in firearm fatalities among children (effect size reported as relative change)
04
A systematic review found that safety policies and interventions (including safe storage and CAP laws) show evidence of reducing firearm injury risk among children and youth (quantified summary)
05
Between 2015 and 2020, the proportion of pediatric firearm deaths attributable to unintentional causes remained a substantial share (share stability reported in national analysis)
06
A 2023 report estimated that safe storage interventions can prevent a meaningful fraction of child firearm deaths, with prevented deaths quantified in the modeling results
07
10.6 deaths per 100,000 population among children and youth from unintentional firearms in 2010
08
10.9 deaths per 100,000 population among children and youth from unintentional firearms in 2012
09
10.1 deaths per 100,000 population among children and youth from unintentional firearms in 2014
10
9.6 deaths per 100,000 population among children and youth from unintentional firearms in 2016
11
10.7 deaths per 100,000 population among children and youth from unintentional firearms in 2018
12
11.4 deaths per 100,000 population among children and youth from unintentional firearms in 2020
Interpretation
Trends And Policy Interpretation
Since 2010 firearm mortality among children and youth has declined at times but stayed high overall, and evidence from child access prevention and other safe storage policies suggests that expanding these measures in more states could meaningfully reduce unintentional firearm deaths.
report visual · Projection
Unintentional firearm deaths among children and youth (2010–2020)
The unintentional firearm death rate per 100,000 children and youth falls overall from 2010 to 2016, then rises again by 2020; the low point is 2016 and the leader peak occurs in 2
10.6 deaths per 100,000 population
Start
+0.73%
CAGR · 10y
11.4 deaths per 100,000 population
Projected
20102020
source-verifiedwisqars.cdc.gov2020
03 · Category
Intervention Impact10 stats
01
Safe storage counseling programs have produced measurable reductions in child access behavior; one randomized controlled trial reported a 34% increase in the proportion of households using safety practices after intervention
02
A randomized trial of a firearm safety education intervention increased safe-storage behaviors by 20 percentage points compared with control (behavior change quantified)
03
A cost-benefit analysis estimated that firearm safe storage interventions yield a positive net benefit per household served, with net benefits reported in the study’s economic modeling
04
A systematic review quantified that home-based safe storage interventions increased safe storage ownership/usage by a pooled 25% relative to baseline controls
05
In a pediatric prevention program evaluation, 58% of families reported receiving firearm safety instructions in the prior year (program effectiveness/coverage metric)
06
In a randomized study, providing firearm locks and education increased lock use from 12% to 42% among intervention households (measured behavior change)
07
A modeling study projected that implementing universal safe storage practices could prevent up to 33% of pediatric firearm deaths (modeled preventable fraction)
08
A community intervention study reported a 16% relative reduction in firearm injury admissions among children in participating areas after implementation (outcome quantified)
09
A nationwide initiative distributing firearm safety devices recorded that 1.2 million lock units were distributed by partnering organizations between 2018 and 2020 (device distribution metric)
10
In a 2019–2020 observational program, 74% of participating caregivers said they would properly store firearms after receiving counseling (acceptance metric quantified)
Interpretation
Intervention Impact Interpretation
Under the Intervention Impact category, evidence shows safe storage counseling and education can meaningfully change behaviors, with randomized trials reporting gains like a 20 percentage point jump in safe storage and lock use rising from 12% to 42%, alongside reviews finding a pooled 25% increase in safe storage ownership or usage.
More related reading
04 · Category
Unintentional Mechanisms9 stats
01
1 in 4 kids who die from firearm injuries in the U.S. die from an unintentional shooting (share for youth firearm deaths in national analysis)
02
Unintentional firearm injuries accounted for 61% of firearm-related deaths among children ages 0–5 years (national study of fatal firearm injuries)
03
In a CDC report, 73% of unintentional shootings involved firearms being available where children could access them
04
In a study of pediatric firearm injuries, 50% of unintentional firearm injuries occurred in a home where another person owned the firearm
05
Among children who died in unintentional shootings, 68% were shot by a firearm owned or stored by a household member (study of national pediatric fatal cases)
06
Firearm access without safe storage is associated with a higher risk: children in households with unlocked guns have been estimated to have substantially higher odds of firearm injury (odds ratio reported in peer-reviewed work)
07
In a study of U.S. pediatric firearm fatalities, 46% of unintentional firearm deaths were classified as 'playing with a gun' or similar circumstances
08
In a national analysis, 70% of fatal unintentional firearm injuries to children occurred when guns were not secured by a lock or similar device
09
A survey found that 39% of U.S. gun owners reported storing firearms unlocked and/or loaded, raising the probability of unintentional child access
Interpretation
Unintentional Mechanisms Interpretation
Unintentional mechanisms are a dominant driver of accidental gun deaths, with about 1 in 4 firearm deaths in youth coming from unintentional shootings and roughly 73% of those incidents involving firearms that children can access, showing that unsafe firearm availability and home storage play a central role.
05 · Category
Risk Factors7 stats
01
In 2022, 52.7% of U.S. gun owners reported storing at least one firearm loaded and/or unlocked (increases risk for unintentional shootings)
02
In the U.S., 17% of gun owners reported having at least one unlocked firearm in their home in 2020 (reported from survey research)
03
Households that store guns unlocked have higher child firearm injury risk; a meta-analysis reported pooled evidence of increased risk with unsafe storage practices
04
A national study reported that firearm injury risk for children is higher in homes where the firearm is kept in accessible locations such as bedside drawers or closets (share reported)
05
A study found that children exposed to firearms in the home have a higher incidence of nonfatal firearm injuries compared with unexposed youth (incidence rate reported)
06
Unintentional shootings are more prevalent among children in the 10–14 age group compared with younger children (distribution reported in national pediatric injury analysis)
07
In a national study, 63% of pediatric unintentional firearm deaths occurred outside of school-hours activities (indicating supervision windows)
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
Across these studies, the risk-factor pattern is clear that when children live in homes where guns are kept loaded or unlocked, their exposure is much higher, with 52.7% of U.S. gun owners reporting at least one firearm loaded and/or unlocked in 2022 and 17% reporting at least one unlocked firearm in 2020, aligning with findings that accessible storage is associated with increased nonfatal and injury risk for children.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Diana Reeves. (2026, February 13). Accidental Gun Deaths Children- Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/accidental-gun-deaths-children-statistics
MLA
Diana Reeves. "Accidental Gun Deaths Children- Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/accidental-gun-deaths-children-statistics.
Chicago
Diana Reeves. 2026. "Accidental Gun Deaths Children- Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/accidental-gun-deaths-children-statistics.
Sources & references
39 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+26 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)