Firearm Safety
Is Firearm Injury a problem in Maine?
For the ten years from 1989 to 1998, 1,181 residents of all ages died from firearm injuries, resulting in a death rate of 9.37 deaths/100,000 population.
Of these firearm deaths:
- 30 were the result of unintentional injuries
- 1004 were suicides or 85% (approx. 85%) were suicides
- 136 were homicides
- 9 were a result of legal intervention
- 2 were of undetermined intent
What about Youth and Firearm Injury?
- According to the 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey of Maine Middle and High School students, youth report substantially higher rates of carrying weapons than national averages. The discrepancy may be explained by the popularity of hunting among Maine youth.
- In the same 1997 Survey, 48% of seventh and eighth grade students reported that they had ever carried a gun, while 7% of high school students reported carrying a gun.
Who is at Risk?
- Males accounted for 87% of all firearm injury deaths
- 87 % of firearm injury deaths were suicides
- Maine residents under 24 years accounted for 14% of all firearm injury deaths
- 75% (172) of these deaths were suicides
- 16% (38) of these deaths were homicides
- Eighty-three percent of the firearm deaths to children younger than 10 years old were homicides.
- All firearm deaths to Maine residents 75 years and older (120) were intentional.
- 117 deaths were suicides
- 43were homicides
