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Posted on 12/19/2001 6:45:36 AM PST by NativeNewYorker

NEWTOWN, Conn., Dec. 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was
released today by the National Shooting Sports Foundation:

Analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from
the Firearms Injury Surveillance Study for 1993-1997 show a dramatic
decrease in non-fatal firearms-related injuries for all age categories
for children and adolescents. This decrease coincides with a similar
drop in accidental firearms fatalities, which reached an all-time low
in 2000.

``This good news underscores the value of nationwide safety efforts
sponsored by the shooting sports industry, and those of the thousands
of volunteers in hunter safety education, the National Rifle
Association, Boy Scouts and 4-H firearm safety instruction who make a
positive contribution to increasingly safe ownership of firearms and
enjoyment of the shooting sports,'' said Bob Delfay, president and CEO
of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).

The study shows a 37 percent decrease in the total number of
non-fatal firearms-related injuries in the five-year period. The drop
is from 28,963 in 1993 to 18,009 in 1997 for children and adolescents
ages 0-19. The greatest rates of decrease occurred among the youngest
age groups with non-fatal firearms-related injuries for children ages
0-4 down 50 percent, and non-fatal firearms-related injuries for
children ages 5-9 down 76 percent. The total number of non-fatal
firearms-related injuries for children under 10 dropped 64 percent
from 1,308 in 1993 to 465 in 1997. These firearm-related injury
numbers would be even lower but the study includes such broadly
defined non-penetrating gunshot injuries as those from powder burns,
recoil, and even pistol whipping (the use of a firearm as a blunt
object in an assault).

The National Shooting Sports Foundation publishes numerous
brochures for parents, individual firearms owners, sportsmen and
hunters. Safety education focuses on safe handling and storage with
special emphasis on properly storing an unloaded firearm so that it is
inaccessible to children or other unauthorized persons. Key firearm
safety points include:

-- Follow safe firearm handling practices at all times: keep the
muzzle pointed in a safe direction; keep fingers off the trigger; and
keep the firearm unloaded when not in use.

-- Keep all unattended firearms locked in a safe place, away from
children and other unauthorized persons; store ammunition under lock
and key, separately from firearms.

-- Read and understand the owner's manual that came with the
firearm.

In 1999 NSSF launched Project HomeSafe, now among the nation's
largest firearms safety initiatives, distributing free firearms safety
kits in communities around the country. The safety kits, distributed
in cooperation with Lt. Governors and local law enforcement, include a
cable-style gun lock and firearms safety brochure. Project HomeSafe is
funded by the firearms industry and a $4.9 million grant through the
U.S. Department of Justice. For more information on Project HomeSafe
visit www.projecthomesafe.org.

In 2000, the number of accidental firearm fatalities in the United
States fell to an all-time low, according to the National Safety
Council's Injury Facts report. The preliminary total of 600 firearm
fatalities in 2000 is 25 percent fewer than in 1999, reflects a 58
percent drop since 1990, and is the lowest number of fatalities
reported since records were first kept in 1903.

In the same year accidental firearms fatalities were reduced to
600, the National Safety Council reports accidental drowning deaths in
the United States numbered 3,900. There were 3,600 deaths from fires
and burns, and poisonings of all types took 12,100 lives.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, with over 1,900 members,
is the firearms industry's largest and most diverse trade association.
Formed in 1961, the NSSF manages a variety of outreach programs with a
special emphasis on efforts to promote firearm safety education to all
gun owners. For additional information visit the NSSF Web site at
www.nssf.org.

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