Accidental Deaths, including firearms

 

Outside of homicide deaths due to firearms, there is also the anti's often quoted loss of life due to firearms accidents which gets much attention. It is very useful to put this into perspective and look at other causes of accidental death and compare.  Note in this chart the position of firearms in relation to the rest – approximately 5 per 1 million of population! One addition, while not exactly "accidental" is that of Radon gas exposure, estimated to be resonsible for 20,000 deaths a year in the USA.

Any loss of life is a tragedy from any cause and much with regard to firearms is sadly a lack of basic attention to safety measures. Below the chart is a reminder of Colonel Jeff Cooper's four rules of gun safety.

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accidents


Colonel Cooper's Four rules of gun safety –

  1. A firearm should be regarded as always loaded.
  2. Never point a firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy.
  3. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.
  4. Know your target and what is beyond.
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