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Accidental Gun Deaths Underreported
MIAMI (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The incidence of unintended gun death among children is six-times higher than current data sources suggest in one Florida county.
Firearm injury is the second most common cause of death for young people. The key source for fatal firearm injuries is the medial examiner (ME) report, completed for each firearm death. The ME's classification of gun-related deaths as homicide, suicide, or accident determines the rate of unintentional deaths in Miami-Dade County, Fla. However, this classification can be biased and subjective and may affect the reporting of unintentional pediatric firearm fatalities.
Researchers from the University of Miami examined 123 pediatric firearm death police records from 1994 to 1998 in Miami-Dade County. The authors compared the ME's assignment of manner of death with an intent-based classification that judged an expressed or implied intent to harm. The authors found, when intent is accounted for, the number of unintended firearm related deaths among youngsters increases six-fold.
Authors of the study write: "Determining the shooter's intent is particularly important when the shooter is a child. An angry preschooler who acts out with a gun in hand is unlikely to be aware of the full consequences of her actions and cannot be said fully to intend to kill or maim." An intent-based classification system would classify this act as an unintended gun death compared to the ME classification as a homicide.
The authors write, "As additional tragedies involving children who die from gunshot wounds ... come into public light, the need for accurate and reliable data on which to base prevention efforts becomes increasingly important."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Pediatrics, 2003;111:741-744
Last updated 4/14/2003
MIAMI (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The incidence of unintended gun death among children is six-times higher than current data sources suggest in one Florida county.
Firearm injury is the second most common cause of death for young people. The key source for fatal firearm injuries is the medial examiner (ME) report, completed for each firearm death. The ME's classification of gun-related deaths as homicide, suicide, or accident determines the rate of unintentional deaths in Miami-Dade County, Fla. However, this classification can be biased and subjective and may affect the reporting of unintentional pediatric firearm fatalities.
Researchers from the University of Miami examined 123 pediatric firearm death police records from 1994 to 1998 in Miami-Dade County. The authors compared the ME's assignment of manner of death with an intent-based classification that judged an expressed or implied intent to harm. The authors found, when intent is accounted for, the number of unintended firearm related deaths among youngsters increases six-fold.
Authors of the study write: "Determining the shooter's intent is particularly important when the shooter is a child. An angry preschooler who acts out with a gun in hand is unlikely to be aware of the full consequences of her actions and cannot be said fully to intend to kill or maim." An intent-based classification system would classify this act as an unintended gun death compared to the ME classification as a homicide.
The authors write, "As additional tragedies involving children who die from gunshot wounds ... come into public light, the need for accurate and reliable data on which to base prevention efforts becomes increasingly important."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Pediatrics, 2003;111:741-744
Last updated 4/14/2003
