About this Journal - Shattered - The Gun Accident Journal

Gun accidents happen every day in America. Very little is known about how many. Nor is there a complete record of their consequences. This journal is an effort to catalogue a single representative incident from among disparate news reports each day over the course of a single year. The intent is to gather anecdotal evidence that might contribute to the dialogue about the importance of gun safety. The hope is to generate a clearer understanding that everyone in the gun community– manufacturers, law enforcement, regulators, and gun users need to take more responsibility for gun safety.

Gun safety appropriately starts at the manufacturing level, because there are simple safety features, like loaded chamber indicators and external manual safeties, that some popular gun designs now wrongheadedly omit. Many guns are manufactured with triggers so light that they can be pulled by toddlers. From time-to-time, manufacturers have also covered up evidence of manufacturing defects that have had deadly consequences. Recalls, when they occur, do not comply with best practices and are poorly advertised.

Public officials also bear significant responsibility. They sometimes fail to recognize their important role in mandating development and enforcement of safety standards for gun design or have abdicated responsibility for enacting common sense gun safety requirements such as safe storage laws. Public officials also fail to mandate and monitor meaningful gun safety training requirements for gun owners. At the same time, in the face of hostility from gun owners and their advocates, officials often fail to enforce existing safety laws until its too late to prevent harm to the public.

Individual responsibility is important as well. Hopefully, this journal will increase awareness among gun owners about the importance of choosing safe firearms, of following basic gun safety procedures, of reporting gun accidents, and of safely storing firearms even in states where no safe storage laws exist.

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From the Archives

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2023

Man Dies in Gun Cleaning Accident; Three People Injured in Unintentional Shootings

Two men were cleaning a gun in New Orleans, Louisiana, when it unintentionally discharged, fatally striking one of them, a 22-year-old, in the chest. He died from his injuries later at the hospital. No other information is available at this time.

A boy in Vancouver, Washington was taken to the hospital after being accidentally shot by another juvenile. When police arrived to investigate, a group of juveniles that may be involved in the incident left a nearby home; one member of the group, a 15-year-old boy, tried to leave in a stolen car before it crashed and he ran off. He was later caught and now faces charges of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, attempt to elude, hit- and-run, and unlawful possession of a firearm, though it’s unclear if he was the shooter. The investigation is ongoing.

In Bridgeport, Connecticut, Yolanda Alvarez was in the local hospital when she accidentally shot herself in the leg. Alvarez is charged with breach of peace and unlawful discharge of a firearm.

In Glenarden, Maryland, a woman in her 80s was inside her home when people started shooting outside. A stray bullet came through her window and struck her in the arm. She is expected to survive. Police say that over 20 rounds were shot into the house and that the woman was not the intended target. The investigation is ongoing.

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