Gun safety technology is an integral part of a multifaceted approach to prevent unintentional shootings, youth suicides, and gun violence committed with stolen guns. Consider these facts:
Children and Young Adults
Children and young adults make up 38% of all gun deaths and nonfatal injuries.
Children and Young Adults
- Roughly 4.6 million children live in a home with at least one unlocked and loaded gun.
- Each day in America, 18 children and young adults (24 years of age and under) die from firearm injuries.
- More than 75% of guns used in suicide attempts and unintentional injuries of 0–19 year-olds were stored in the residence of the victim, a relative, or a friend.
- 2,102 teenagers and children under the age 18 were injured or killed in unintentional shootings in 2016 alone.
Suicide Prevention
85% of suicide attempts with a firearm are fatal.
Suicide Prevention
- Approximately 2,600 youths under the age of 24 die by suicide every year.
- Over 80% of children who die by firearm suicide used a gun from their own home.
- 85% of suicide attempts with a firearm are fatal, compared with drug overdose which is only around 2% fatal.
- Gun suicides among minors over 10 years old increased by 60% from 2007 to 2014.
- 90% of first-time suicide attempt survivors don’t go on to die by suicide.
Unintentional Shootings and Deaths
Nearly half of gun owners with children under 18 living at home say all of the guns in their home are unlocked.
Unintentional Shootings and Deaths
- 89% of unintentional shooting deaths among children occur in the home, most with an unsecured, loaded gun in their parents’ absence.
- 73% of children aged nine and under know the location of their parents’ firearms and 36% had handled the guns.
- Many young children, including children as young as three, are strong enough to fire handguns.
Gun Theft
80% of stolen guns are never recovered.
Gun Theft
- 500,000 guns are stolen each year.
- 10–15% of stolen guns are later used in crimes.
- 1,600 guns are stolen in the US every day.
- On average, only about 11% of stolen firearms are recovered.
This Smart Gun Could Save Lives
Guns kill more than 30,000 Americans every year, far more than in any other developed country. While lawmakers and activists battle it out over legislative solutions, some are trying a different approach: integrating smart technology into guns. In this episode of “The Spark,” Bloomberg follows 21-year-old inventor and entrepreneur Kai Kloepfer, who’s created a “smart” handgun that could save thousands of lives.