Study shows thousands are injured annually by BBs, air guns

CHICAGO -- They are often thought of as toys, but BB guns and other nonpowder guns are sometimes lethal and injure as many as 21,000 Americans each year, according to a new report.

Nonpowder guns kill an average of four Americans yearly, and from 1990 to 2000, there were 39 such deaths -- 32 of children younger than 15, according to the report in November's issue of Pediatrics.

The report, published today, comes just two weeks after the BB gun death of an 8-year-old South Carolina boy accidentally killed by a 13-year-old friend. The pellet pierced the boy's heart, said Richland County Coroner Gary Watts.

"These are not the kinds of BB guns that I grew up with," Watts said. Today's BB guns "are extremely high-powered," and some can shoot with a velocity nearly matching a .22 caliber rifle, Watts said.

These guns include powerful air rifles introduced in the 1970s and paintball pistols used in war games. They're sometimes described as fake guns and often given to children as gifts, but the report says they can cause internal injuries similar to those from bullets.

The gun involved in the Oct. 18 shooting was a present from the older boy's parents, who had hoped it would lift his spirits after his own brother's recent death in a car accident, Watts said.

"They're being given as toys without recognition that there may be a serious injury risk," said report author Dr. Danielle Laraque, a New York pediatrician.

Nationally, an estimated 21,840 injuries related to nonpowder guns were treated in emergency departments in 2000 -- most in children aged 5 to 14, according to the report prepared by the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Injury, Violence and Prevention.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show there were 19,163 nonpowder gun injuries last year.

Most states have laws or regulations governing nonpowder guns. New York's is one of the strictest, prohibiting the purchase or unsupervised use by someone younger than 16 years, the Pediatrics report said.

While some models of air guns and BB guns are marketed specifically to youngsters, manufacturers and sellers also stress that they should be handled like legitimate firearms. Daisy Outdoor Products, a leading maker of BB guns and air rifles, lists safety instructions on its Web site and notes the risk of injury or death if the rules aren't followed.

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