While headlines often focus on intentional violence, a startling 548 lives were tragically cut short in 2021 by unintentional firearm discharges alone, a silent epidemic of accidents that claims hundreds of lives and injures thousands more in the United States every single year.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, there were 548 unintentional firearm deaths in the US, accounting for 1.2% of all gun deaths
- In 2020, unintentional firearm fatalities numbered 451, a 22% increase from 2019
- US saw 569 accidental gun deaths in 2019 per CDC data
- US hospitals treated 17,927 nonfatal unintentional shooting injuries in 2021
- 2020 saw 14,205 emergency department visits for accidental gun injuries
- In 2019, 18,346 nonfatal unintentional firearm injuries occurred
- Males aged 20-24 made up 12% of unintentional shooting victims in 2021
- Children 0-5 years old: 25% of all pediatric accidental shootings in 2020
- White males over 65 accounted for 18% of unintentional gun deaths in 2019
- 55% of unintentional shootings occurred at home in 2021
- 28% of accidental shootings involved handguns in 2020
- Dropped or mishandled guns caused 41% of unintentional injuries in 2019
- Unintentional firearm deaths increased 17.5% from 2019 to 2020
- Nonfatal unintentional shootings rose 12% from 2018 to 2021
- Child accidental shootings up 30% during COVID-19 in 2020
Accidental firearm deaths have been rising with hundreds killed yearly.
Demographics
- Males aged 20-24 made up 12% of unintentional shooting victims in 2021
- Children 0-5 years old: 25% of all pediatric accidental shootings in 2020
- White males over 65 accounted for 18% of unintentional gun deaths in 2019
- Urban areas saw 62% of nonfatal accidental shootings in 2021
- Females comprised 11% of unintentional shooting fatalities in 2020
- Black Americans: 14% of accidental gun deaths despite 13% population in 2021
- Ages 15-19: highest rate at 0.8 per 100,000 for unintentional shootings in 2019
- Rural residents: 38% of unintentional firearm deaths in 2020
- Hispanic victims: 9% of nonfatal accidental shootings in 2021
- Adults 25-44: 42% of all unintentional gun injuries in 2019
- Children 6-12: 15% of pediatric accidental shootings in 2020
- Asian Americans: under 2% of unintentional shooting victims in 2021
- Males 45-64: 25% of accidental gun fatalities in 2019
- Suburban areas: 28% of nonfatal unintentional shootings in 2020
- Native Americans: 3% of unintentional gun deaths in 2021
- Teens 13-17: 22% of youth accidental injuries in 2019
- Elderly over 75: 12% of unintentional shooting deaths in 2020
- White victims: 72% of accidental gun fatalities in 2021
- Black males under 25: 8% of nonfatal unintentional shootings in 2019
- Females aged 0-14: 4% of pediatric accidental shootings in 2020
Demographics Interpretation
The data paints a grim portrait of carelessness, revealing that accidental gun violence is a tragically equal-opportunity menace, sparing no demographic but disproportionately terrorizing the very young, the inexperienced, and the complacent in their own homes.
Fatalities
- In 2021, there were 548 unintentional firearm deaths in the US, accounting for 1.2% of all gun deaths
- In 2020, unintentional firearm fatalities numbered 451, a 22% increase from 2019
- US saw 569 accidental gun deaths in 2019 per CDC data
- 2022 recorded 582 unintentional shooting deaths nationwide
- From 2015-2019, average annual unintentional firearm deaths were 474
- Texas reported 62 accidental gun deaths in 2021
- Florida had 48 unintentional firearm fatalities in 2020
- California logged 29 accidental shooting deaths in 2021
- In 2018, 403 unintentional gun deaths occurred, down from 505 in 2015
- Males accounted for 89% of 2021's 548 unintentional firearm deaths
- Children under 18 comprised 8% of unintentional gun deaths in 2020 (36 cases)
- 2022's accidental gun deaths rose 5% to 582 per GVA
- Pennsylvania saw 35 unintentional firearm deaths in 2021
- Ohio reported 28 accidental shooting deaths in 2020
- Michigan had 22 unintentional gun fatalities in 2019
- Nationwide, 1.4 per 100,000 population died from unintentional shootings in 2021
- 2017 saw 428 accidental firearm deaths
- Georgia recorded 41 unintentional gun deaths in 2021
- North Carolina had 37 accidental shooting fatalities in 2020
- Arizona logged 26 unintentional firearm deaths in 2021
- 2016 unintentional gun deaths totaled 486
- Illinois reported 19 accidental shooting deaths in 2021
- Tennessee had 29 unintentional firearm fatalities in 2020
- Alabama saw 24 accidental gun deaths in 2019
- Missouri recorded 25 unintentional shooting deaths in 2021
- Kentucky had 22 accidental firearm deaths in 2020
- Indiana reported 18 unintentional gun fatalities in 2019
- Wisconsin logged 14 accidental shooting deaths in 2021
- Colorado had 16 unintentional firearm deaths in 2020
- In 2021, 0.16 per 100,000 children died from unintentional shootings
Fatalities Interpretation
The tragic and stubbornly persistent toll of "accidents"—a predictable annual harvest of hundreds of lives cut short, predominantly men, and far too many children—proves that when it comes to firearms, the word 'unintentional' is often the only thing that's careless about these entirely preventable deaths.
Non-Fatal Injuries
- US hospitals treated 17,927 nonfatal unintentional shooting injuries in 2021
- 2020 saw 14,205 emergency department visits for accidental gun injuries
- In 2019, 18,346 nonfatal unintentional firearm injuries occurred
- GVA tracked 2,841 unintentional shooting injuries in 2022
- Children under 14 had 1,200 nonfatal accidental gun injuries in 2021
- Males represented 83% of 17,927 nonfatal unintentional shooting cases in 2021
- Texas reported 1,245 ED visits for accidental gun injuries in 2020
- Florida logged 892 nonfatal unintentional shooting injuries in 2021
- California had 745 accidental firearm injury ED visits in 2020
- 2018 nonfatal unintentional gun injuries totaled 16,542
- Pennsylvania saw 678 nonfatal accidental shooting injuries in 2021
- Ohio reported 512 ED visits for unintentional gun injuries in 2020
- Michigan had 456 nonfatal accidental firearm injuries in 2019
- Rate of nonfatal unintentional shootings was 5.4 per 100,000 in 2021
- 2017 recorded 15,789 nonfatal gun injury ED visits from accidents
- Georgia had 623 unintentional shooting injuries in 2021
- North Carolina logged 589 nonfatal accidental gun injuries in 2020
- Arizona reported 412 ED visits for unintentional shootings in 2021
- 2016 nonfatal unintentional firearm injuries: 17,123 cases
- Illinois saw 345 accidental gun injury visits in 2021
- Tennessee had 498 nonfatal unintentional shootings in 2020
- Alabama reported 367 ED visits for accidental gun injuries in 2019
- Missouri logged 389 nonfatal shooting injuries in 2021
- Kentucky had 312 accidental firearm injuries in 2020
- Indiana reported 278 nonfatal unintentional gun injuries in 2019
- Wisconsin saw 245 ED visits for accidental shootings in 2021
- Colorado had 267 unintentional gun injury cases in 2020
Non-Fatal Injuries Interpretation
These statistics prove that America has accidentally made treating bullet wounds a core part of its healthcare curriculum.
Scenarios
- 55% of unintentional shootings occurred at home in 2021
- 28% of accidental shootings involved handguns in 2020
- Dropped or mishandled guns caused 41% of unintentional injuries in 2019
- 19% of accidental shootings happened during cleaning or maintenance in 2021
- Hunting accidents: 12% of rural unintentional gun deaths in 2020
- Self-inflicted accidental shootings: 35% of nonfatal cases in 2019
- 22% involved unsecured firearms accessible to children in 2021
- Vehicle-related accidental shootings: 8% of incidents in 2020
- 15% occurred at retail locations or gun ranges in 2019
- Playing with gun: 27% of child unintentional shootings in 2021
- Holster malfunctions caused 9% of law enforcement accidental shootings in 2020
- 31% of accidents involved rifles or shotguns in rural areas 2019
- Trigger pulled unintentionally: 52% of all accidental discharges in 2021
- 14% happened during target practice in 2020
- Bedroom storage led to 18% of home accidental shootings in 2019
- 7% involved multiple shooters in group settings 2021
- Workplace accidental shootings: 3% of total incidents in 2020
- 24% from guns left loaded and unattended in 2019
- School-related unintentional shootings: 1.2% of youth cases in 2021
- 11% during firearm transfers or showing off in 2020
- Public streets: 16% of urban accidental shootings in 2019
- 6% from ricochet or stray bullets in hunting 2021
- Alcohol involved in 13% of adult accidental shootings 2020
- 29% self-inflicted during holstering in 2019
- Residential yards: 9% of home-related accidents 2021
Scenarios Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of carelessness is written in these numbers: over half of accidents happen at home, often with mishandled or unsecured guns, proving the most dangerous weapon is the one treated like a harmless household object.
Trends
- Unintentional firearm deaths increased 17.5% from 2019 to 2020
- Nonfatal unintentional shootings rose 12% from 2018 to 2021
- Child accidental shootings up 30% during COVID-19 in 2020
- Annual rate of unintentional gun deaths stable at 0.14-0.16 per 100k 2015-2021
- GVA unintentional incidents surged 25% from 2019 to 2022
- Post-2015, accidental gun deaths averaged 460 yearly
- Injury ED visits peaked at 18,346 in 2019 before dropping in 2020
- Safe storage laws correlated with 8% drop in youth accidents 2010-2020
- Firearm ownership rise linked to 15% increase in accidents 2016-2021
- Southern states saw 22% rise in unintentional shootings 2015-2020
- National unintentional gun death rate declined 25% from 1999-2015
- 2021-2022: 5% uptick in accidental fatalities per GVA
- Child access prevention laws reduced incidents by 23% in adopting states
- ED visits for unintentional shootings down 23% from 2016 peak in 2020
- Midwest accidental injuries stable 2018-2021 at ~1,200 annually
- Hispanic unintentional death rates doubled 2010-2020
- Gun production boom 2020 correlated with 18% accident spike
- States without safe storage laws: 2x higher child shooting rates 2015-2021
- Urban unintentional shootings declined 10% 2015-2020
- Elderly accidental rates up 14% with pandemic isolation 2020-2021
- Overall gun violence down but unintentional up 8% since 2014
- Northeast saw lowest rates, steady at 0.1 per 100k 2016-2021
- Permitless carry states: 19% higher accident rates 2010-2020
- Pediatric hospital admissions for accidental shootings rose 50% 2019-2021
Trends Interpretation
It seems we've collectively decided that teaching toddlers trigger discipline is easier than storing a gun safely, as statistics show a grim comedy where safety laws work, ownership surges don't, and our most vulnerable keep paying the price.
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