Review Firearm Deaths A total of 16 children were killed by firearms in 1999. Firearm deaths among children numbered 26 in 1997 and 20 in 1998. Of the 16 deaths in 1999, eight were suicides, four were unintentional deaths, three were homicides, and one was undetermined. Firearm fatalities in children. A firearm death cannot occur if the victim or perpetrator does not have access to a firearm.
Trigger locks can similarly make firearm storage safer.
Firearms stored in this way may decrease the risk of impulsive suicides and homicides because of the time required to access and load the gun. Firearms stored in this way may also decrease the risk of unintentional shootings, since children can be effectively prevented from accessing those firearms. Data were available about storage practices for 9 of the 12 unintentional and suicide deaths from firearms. There were four unintentional firearm injury deaths in 1999. The victims ranged in age from 23 months to 16 years.