Editing Firearm (section)

==Health hazards==
{{See also|Gunshot wound|Gun safety}}

Firearm hazard is quite notable, with a significant impact on the health system. In 2001, for quantification purposes, it was estimated that the cost of fatalities and injuries was US$4700&nbsp;million per year in Canada (US$170 per Canadian) and US$100,000&nbsp;million per year in the U.S. (US$300 per American).<ref name="who2001" />

===Death===
[[File:Gun-related death rates in high-income countries, 2010.svg|thumb|Gun-related homicide and suicide ''rates'' in high-income [[OECD]] countries, 2010, ordered by total death rates (homicide plus suicide plus other gun-related deaths)<ref name=AJM201603>{{cite journal |last1=Grinshteyn |first1=Erin |last2=Hemenway |first2=David |title=Violent Death Rates: The US Compared with Other High-income OECD Countries, 2010 |journal=[[The American Journal of Medicine]] |date=March 2016 |volume=129 |issue=3 |pages=266–273 |doi=10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.10.025 |pmid=26551975 |doi-access=free }} ([https://archive.today/20180901041428/https://www.webcitation.org/726BRzNvK?url=https://www.amjmed.com/action/showFullTableImage?isHtml=true&tableId=tbl4&pii=S000293431501030X Table 4]). ([https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(15)01030-X/pdf PDF] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202104515/https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(15)01030-X/pdf |date=2019-02-02 }}).</ref>]]
From 1990 to 2015, global deaths from assault by firearm rose from 128,000 to 173,000,<ref name="GBD2015">{{cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=Haidong|last2=Naghavi|first2=MohsenA|title=Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015|journal=The Lancet|date=October 2016|volume=388|issue=10053|pages=1459–1544|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31012-1|pmid=27733281|pmc=5388903}}</ref><ref name="GDB2013">{{cite journal|last1=GBD 2013 Mortality and Causes of Death|first1=((Collaborators))|title=Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.|journal=Lancet|volume=385|issue=9963|pages=117–71|date=17 December 2014|pmid=25530442|pmc=4340604|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61682-2}}</ref> however this represents a drop in rate from 2.41/100,000 to 2.35/100,000, as world population has increased by more than two billion.<ref name="WPP2015total">{{cite web|title=World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision|url=http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DVD/Files/1_Indicators%20(Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_Population/WPP2015_POP_F01_1_TOTAL_POPULATION_BOTH_SEXES.XLS|publisher=UN Population Division|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222125602/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DVD/Files/1_Indicators%20(Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_Population/WPP2015_POP_F01_1_TOTAL_POPULATION_BOTH_SEXES.XLS|archive-date=December 22, 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=January 10, 2019}}. Linked to at [https://web.archive.org/web/20151225073428/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/ Download Files], where it states that the figures are for July 1 of the given year.</ref>

In 2017, there were 39,773 gun-related deaths in the United States; over 60% were suicides from firearms.<ref>{{cite web |title=Firearms |url=https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/guns/ |website=Injury Facts |access-date=31 January 2019 |archive-date=1 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201014125/https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/guns/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2001, firearms were involved in cases constituting the second leading cause of "mechanism of injury deaths" (which are deaths which occur as a direct, identifiable, and immediate consequence of an event, such as a shooting or poisoning, and do not include deaths due to "natural causes" or "indirect causes" such as chronic alcohol abuse or tobacco use) after [[Transportation safety in the United States|motor vehicle accidents]], which comprised the majority of deaths in this category.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[National Vital Statistics System]] |date=June 2, 2004 |volume=52 |number=21 |pages=1–86 |title=Deaths: injuries, 2001 |last1=Anderson |first1=RN |last2=Miniño |first2=AM |last3=Fingerhut |first3=LA |last4=Warner |first4=M |last5=Heinen |first5=MA |pmid=15222463}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[National Vital Statistics System]] |date=January 31, 2006 |volume=54 |number=10 |pages=1–124 |title=Deaths: injuries, 2002 |last2=Anderson |first2=RN |last1=Miniño |first1=AM |last3=Fingerhut |first3=LA |last5=Warner |first5=M |last4=Boudreault |first4=MA |pmid=16485447}}</ref> The most recent, complete data, from 2017, shows gunshot related homicides as having been the 31st most common cause of death in the US, while gunshot related suicides was the 21st most common cause of death. Accidental discharge of a firearm accounted for the 59th most common cause of death, with 486 deaths in 2017, while 616 individuals were killed by law enforcement, comprising the 58th most common cause of death. The total number of deaths related to firearms in 2017 was 38,882 (not including incidents of deaths resulting from lethal force when used by law enforcement), while the most common cause of death, heart disease, claimed 647,457 lives, over sixteen times that of firearms, including suicides. The most recent data from the CDC, from 2020, shows that deaths involving firearms accounted for about 0.2% of all deaths nationwide in 2020, of which about two-thirds were suicides.<ref>{{cite web|title=Death index: Top 59 ways Americans die|publisher=CBS News|first=Jessica|last=Learish|date=March 31, 2021|access-date=April 3, 2022|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/death-index-top-50-ways-americans-die/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=FastStats - Deaths and Mortality|date=13 January 2022|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm|publisher=CDC|accessdate=April 3, 2022}}</ref>

In the 52 high- and middle-income countries, with a combined population of 1,400&nbsp;million and not engaged in civil conflict, fatalities due to firearm injuries were estimated at 115,000 people per annum, in the 1990s.<ref name="who2001">{{Cite web |date=July 9–20, 2001 |title=Small Arms and Global Health |url=http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/66838/WHO_NMH_VIP_01.1.pdf;jsessionid=D97C161DECB72535C8C8CA1E25F94CD8?sequence=1 |access-date=February 8, 2023 |website=World Health Organization}}</ref>
{{image frame
|content={{Graph:Chart
|type=pie
|width=100
|height=100
|x=Homicide, Suicide, Undetermined, Accidental
|y1=79320, 28539, 5004, 2730
|legend=Cause
|showValues=
}}
|caption=Fatalities in 52 countries, mid-1990s<ref name="who2001" />
|border=no
}}

In those 52 countries, a firearm is the first method used for homicide (two-thirds) but only the second method for suicide (20%.<ref name="who2001" />

To prevent unintentional injury, gun safety training includes education on proper firearm storage and firearm-handling etiquette.<ref>{{cite web|last1=United States Government Accountability Office|title=Personal Firearms Programs that Promote Safe Storage and Research on Their Effectiveness|date=September 2017|url=https://www.gao.gov/assets/690/687239.pdf|journal=|access-date=2018-04-01|archive-date=2018-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413053409/https://www.gao.gov/assets/690/687239.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Aero Precision|title=Gun Safety and Instruction Manual|url=https://aeroprecisionusa.com/media/file_mgr/Aero-Precision-Gun-Safety-and-Instruction-Manual.pdf|access-date=2018-04-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401213431/https://aeroprecisionusa.com/media/file_mgr/Aero-Precision-Gun-Safety-and-Instruction-Manual.pdf|archive-date=2018-04-01|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Injury===
Based on US data, it is estimated that three people are injured for one killed.<ref name="who2001" />

A 2017 study found that attacks account for more than half (50.2%) of all nonfatal gun injuries, while unintentional injuries make up more than one-third (36.7%).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Unintentional Shootings |url=https://efsgv.org/learn/type-of-gun-violence/unintentional-shootings/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208032636/https://efsgv.org/learn/type-of-gun-violence/unintentional-shootings/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Noise===
A common hazard of repeated firearm use is [[noise-induced hearing loss]] (NIHL). NIHL can result from long-term exposure to noise or from high intensity impact noises such as gunshots.<ref name="NIDCD-2015">{{cite web|url=https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss|title=Noise-Induced Hearing Loss|date=2015-08-18|website=NIDCD|language=en|access-date=2019-10-15|archive-date=2020-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414132329/https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Healthy Hearing-2007">{{cite web|url=https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/7904-Shooting-sports-and-hearing|title=Gunshots and hearing loss -- why hearing protection is vital|date=2007-12-10|website=Healthy Hearing|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-15|archive-date=2019-10-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015213754/https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/7904-Shooting-sports-and-hearing|url-status=live}}</ref> Individuals who shoot guns often have a characteristic pattern of hearing loss referred to as "shooters ear". They often have a high-frequency loss with better hearing in the low frequencies and one ear is typically worse than the other. The ear on the side the shooter is holding the gun will receive protection from the sound wave from the shoulder while the other ear remains unprotected and more susceptible to the full impact of the sound wave.<ref name="Healthy Hearing-2007" /><ref name="ASLHA-2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Recreational-Firearm-Noise-Exposure/|title=Recreational Firearm Noise Exposure|website=American Speech-Language-Hearing Association|language=en|access-date=2019-10-15|archive-date=2019-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904130921/https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Recreational-Firearm-Noise-Exposure/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The intensity of a gunshot does vary; lower caliber guns are typically on the softer side while higher caliber guns are often louder. The intensity of a gunshot though typically ranges from 140&nbsp;dB to 175&nbsp;dB. Indoor shooting also causes loud reverberations which can also be as damaging as the actual gunshot itself.<ref name="Healthy Hearing-2007" /><ref name="ASLHA-2019" /> According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, noise above 85&nbsp;dB can begin to cause hearing loss.<ref name="NIDCD-2015" /> While many sounds cause damage over time, at the intensity level of a gunshot (140&nbsp;dB or louder), damage to the ear can occur instantly.<ref name="NIDCD-2015" /><ref name="ASLHA-2019" />

Shooters use custom hearing protection such as electronic type hearing protection for hunters which can amplify soft sounds like leaves crunching while reducing the intensity of the gunshot and custom hearing protection for skeet shooting.<ref name="Healthy Hearing-2007" /><ref name="ASLHA-2019" />

Even with hearing protection, due to the high intensity of the noise guns produce shooters still develop hearing loss over time.<ref name="Healthy Hearing-2007" />