When Children Shoot Children
88 Unintended Deaths in California
- Garen J. Wintemute, MD, MPH;
- Stephen P. Teret, JD, MPH;
- Jess F. Kraus, MPH, PhD;
- Mona A. Wright;
- Gretchen Bradfield, MS
- From the Department of Family Practice, University of California, Davis (Dr Wintemute and Mss Wright and Bradfield); the Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Hygiene and Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore (Mr Teret); and the; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles (Dr Kraus).
Abstract
Between 1977 and 1983, eighty-eight California children 0 to 14 years of age were unintentionally shot and killed either by other children or by themselves. The majority of cases occurred while children were playing with guns they had found. Easy accessibility to guns, the resemblance of guns to toys, and gun malfunctions were all contributing factors. Handguns, particularly those of 22 caliber, were frequently involved.
(JAMA 1987;257:3107-3109)
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to the University of California, Davis, Medical Center, Department of Family Practice, 2221 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95817 (Dr Wintemute).
