Title: Deaths: Final Data for 2006

Publication Date: April 17, 2008

What does it say?

The National Center for Health Statistics publishes this report annually documenting who dies of what in the United States.  The data is published one to two years after the year in which the death occurred.

In 2006, 30,896 persons died from firearm injuries in the United States (see Tables 18–20), accounting for 17.3 percent of all injury deaths that year.  Firearm suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U. S.,  and 51 percent of completed suicides were gun suicides.  Homicide is the 15th leading cause of death in the U. S., and 69 percent of homicides  are gun homicides. 

To see a breakdown by age and intent of gun deaths, click here.
To see a breakdown by age and intent of nonfatal gun injuries, click here.

How can I use it?

When a gun is used in an attack or an attempted suicide, death is a more likely outcome than if another weapon is used.   It is critical to remove guns from crime and from suicide.   Use this study to document the appalling impact of our weak gun laws. 

Citation

National Center for Health Statistics, Deaths: Final Data for 2006, April 17, 2008