July 2, 2019

Research shows that an estimated 4.6 million American children live in homes with at least one gun that is loaded and unlocked.1 Every year, hundreds of American children gain access to firearms and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else.



To better understand these shootings – and how they can be prevented – Everytown collects information about incidents in which a person age 17 or under unintentionally shoots themselves or someone else. For each identified incident, the researchers review available media reports to obtain details about the incident, including location, type of firearm, and method of storage.



For more information on preventing unintentional shootings by children, please visit Be SMART. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America launched the Be SMART campaign to raise awareness that responsible gun storage – storing guns locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition – can save children’s lives.

1. Azrael D, Cohen J, Salhi C, Miller M. Firearm storage in gun-owning households with children: Results of a 2015 national survey. Journal of Urban Health. 2018; 95(3): 295-304. Study defined children as under the age of 18.

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Report a child shooting Help Everytown be the most up-to-date and comprehensive source of information on child gun deaths and injuries. Use this form to submit a shooting or to improve our knowledge of those reported incidents. For this interactive map we track shootings since 2015 in which a child 17 or under fired a gun unintentionally and someone was harmed as a result. Name *

Email *

News report * Provide a URL to the local news report that describes the child shooting in question.

Message * Summary of the news report / incident