“Contrary to what you might expect from all the recent news, accidental deaths from firearms have actually declined in recent years,” consumerreports.org reports. “But other deadly accidents at home, including poisonings, falls, and burns, are increasing . . . The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, looked at data from 2000 to 2008. More than 30,000 people die from accidents in the home each year, the study found. The three leading causes of accidental injuries were poisonings (43 percent), falls (34 percent), and fire or burn injuries (9 percent).” Firearms account for 1.1 percent. And while we’re at the AJPM, here’s a look at the suicide stats for the same time period . . .
The overall suicide rate increased from 10.4 to 12.1 per 100,000 population between 2000 and 2010, a 16% increase. The majority of the increase was attributable to suicide by hanging/suffocation (52%) and by poisoning (19%). Subgroup analysis showed: (1) suicide by hanging/suffocation increased by 104% among those aged 45–59 years and rose steadily in all age groups except those aged ≥70 years; (2) the largest increase in suicide by poisoning (85%) occurred among those aged 60–69 years; and (3) suicide by firearm decreased by 24% among those aged 15–24 years but increased by 22% among those aged 45–59 years. The case fatality rates for suicide by hanging/suffocation during 2000–2010 ranged from 69% to 84%, close to those for suicide by firearm. Analyses were conducted in 2012.
Clearly, it’s time to ban rope.