TABLE 15. Number* and percentage† of unintentional firearm deaths, by context and circumstances of injury — National Violent Death Reporting System, 18 states,§ 2014.
| Characteristic | No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Context of injury | |
| Playing with gun | 54 (40.9) |
| Cleaning gun | 17 (12.9) |
| Showing gun to others | 13 (9.8) |
| Hunting | 11 (8.3) |
| Loading/unloading gun | 9 (6.8) |
| Target shooting | 4 (3.0) |
| Celebratory firing | 0 (0.0) |
| Other context of injury | 33 (25.0) |
| Circumstances of injury | |
| Unintentionally pulled trigger | 35 (26.5) |
| Thought gun was unloaded | 20 (15.2) |
| Thought unloaded, magazine disengaged | 11 (8.3) |
| Gun fired due to defect or malfunction | 5 (3.8) |
| Gun was mistaken for a toy | 4 (3.0) |
| Thought gun safety was engaged | 2 (1.5) |
| Bullet ricocheted | 2 (1.5) |
| Gun fired while holstering | 1 (<1.0) |
| Gun was dropped | 1 (<1.0) |
| Gun fired while handling safety lock | 1 (<1.0) |
| Other mechanism of injury | 32 (24.2) |
| Total unintentional firearm deaths with precipitating circumstances | 132 (100) |
* Includes 132 deaths with one or more circumstances known. Circumstances were unknown for 12 deaths.
† Percentages might exceed 100% because one or more circumstances could have been known per death.
§ Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.