Gun Deaths Drop 26 Percent
April 12 -- Gun deaths in the United States dropped more than 25 percent during the mid-1990s to the lowest level since 1966, the government said today.
Analysts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention credited stricter sentencing in some areas, new laws that make it more difficult for criminals to get guns, the waning crack trade and low unemployment because of the booming economy.
The CDC reported 30,708 gun-related deaths — 11.4 per 100,000 people — in 1998, the latest year for which statistics are available. The rate is down 26 percent from 1993, when there were15.4 deaths per 100,000 people.
Gun-related injuries fell by nearly half during the same five-year period, dropping to 64,484 in 1998, or 23.9 per 100,000 people.
Guns remain the second leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States, trailing only auto accidents.
The drop during the 1990s coincides with a fall in homicides to levels not seen in three decades. The new figures, however, show that gun injuries declined across all three categories of intent — assault, accidental and intentional self-infliction.
Older Men Shoot Selves
Of particular concern, the CDC said, is the striking rate of gun suicides among elderly men — an average of 27.7 per 100,000 people during the five-year period. The rate was just 1.8 per 100,000 for women over age 65.
The problem is likely to get worse as the population ages, analysts said.
"It was just something that kind of popped out," said J. Lee Annest, a CDC statistician. "There's a lot of action going on to prevent youth violence. This really is a problem that needs more attention."
The CDC report excluded air-powered pellet guns. The numbers were collected from emergency rooms and death certificates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. State-by-state numbers were not released.
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