Tenn. nonprofit says Volunteer State is No. 1 for accidental shootings
JACKSON, Tenn. — A Tennessee nonprofit group says the Volunteer State is leading the nation in the number of unintentional shooting deaths.
As recently as this past weekend, a shooting that injured a teenager in Jackson may be ruled accidental. At last check, the 15-year-old victim was still listed in critical condition.
Some say gun owners in Tennessee are for the most part safe.
In a report released last week, the Safe Tennessee Project says historically we’ve been in the top ten. With the latest data compiled by the CDC, they say between 2013 and 2014 Tennessee went from having 19 accidental shooting deaths to 105.
In a phone interview with WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News, Beth Roth, policies director with the nonprofit, says the numbers are shocking.
“So surprising in fact we assumed looking at that number there must be some type of error,” she said.
Lt. Chip Holland is a range master for the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. He says these numbers shouldn’t scare Tennesseans.
“If you go back and look at the numbers, you’ve got a better chance of being struck by lightning, drowning in a bathtub or riding a tricycle and dying than you do of accidentally being shot by a firearm,” he said.
The Safe Tennessee Project says they are not against guns. Instead, they focus on safety.
Jackson police say they aren’t looking for a suspect in a Saturday shooting. While police aren’t releasing many details about the incident, we know a 15-year-old was at a friend’s house when he was shot in the neck. At last check, he was still listed in critical condition at an area hospital. The incident could be ruled an accident.
Roth said the next goal is to figure out a way to keep these numbers from rising.”Especially as it relates to children. Our goal is for parents to realize the importance of safe storage.”
The Safe Tennessee Project says it used numbers compiled by the CDC and that unintentional injuries by firearm, even serious ones, are not factored into the final rankings.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office has a limited number of free gun locks to give away. They’re available for pick up during normal business hours Monday through Friday.
