US Firearm Accident Statistics

In all the noise over VP Cheney's hunting accident, very little has been said about the nature of hunting and firearms accidents. Missoulian: Actually, firearm accident trend is good - Sunday, Feb. 26, 2006 is an exception.

[A]ccidental deaths involving firearms comprise less than 1 percent of accidental deaths or about 700 deaths a year nationwide in 2004, the most recent year studied. [NSSF] cites a recent report from the National Safety Council, a nonprofit public service organization, showing an amazing 48 percent decline in accidental firearm-related deaths in the past decade. According to the National Safety Council, which keeps tabs on accidents in its “Injury Facts 2005-2006” publication, no other category of accidental death has declined as much in recent years.

Some statistics from the National Safety Council: The average Americans chances of dying

In any accident	1 in 23
By a vehicle while walking	1 in 612
Fall from bed, chair, furntiture	1 in 4745
Firearm accident	1 in 4888

As Alphecca says, "If people really want to be safe, they should get rid of all their furniture!"