The risk for a hunting-related firearm accidents is increased when certain factors are present. Targeting these factors can help reduce the risk for hunters.
Categories of firearm accidents (page 287):
(1) errors in hunter's judgment
(2) problems in hunter's skill and aptitude
(3) basic safety violations
(4) law violations
|
Risk Factors |
Increasing Risk |
Protective |
|
victim in the line of fire |
shooter swinging on game; attack by predator |
walking in extended line, keeping all hunters visible |
|
victim mistaken as game |
camouflage |
wearing hunting orange |
|
victim out of sight |
moving with stealth through thickets or dense forest; fog |
moving in the open, with caution in low visibility situations |
|
trigger caught on object |
moving through thickets |
safety on, no round in chamber, cover trigger |
|
running or walking with a loaded weapon |
|
safety on, no round in chamber |
|
improper crossing of obstacle |
|
safety on, no round in chamber |
|
dropping gun |
|
safety on, no round in chamber |
|
when loading or unloading weapon |
|
|
|
removing or placing a loaded weapon into a vehicle |
insecure rest |
no round in chamber, secure and uncluttered weapon rest |
|
mishandling gun |
being drunk or tired |
safety course |
|
using the gun as a club |
|
|
|
horseplay |
youth, being drunk |
age restriction, adult supervision, mature behavior |
|
shooting across a roadway |
any traffic on road |
|
|
shoot near human habitation |
|
|
|
fighting between hunters |
being drunk |
|
|
depressed/suicidal |
|
|
|
use a defective gun or ammunition |
gun in poor repair or maintenance, questionable ammunition |
maintaining gun in good repair; using quality ammunition |
where:
• Some hunting "accidents" are depressed persons trying to mask their suicide.
• A defect in the gun or ammunition is a rare cause for a hunting injury (1-2%).
Specialty: Emergency Medicine, Critical Care
