Handguns Account for Most Shootings but Are Only Half of Sales, Study Finds

Handguns make up only half of the new gun sales in the United States but are involved in nearly 90% of shootings that result in emergency room visits, according to a new three-city survey.

The conclusion is part of a New England Journal of Medicine study that looked at gunshot wounds in Memphis, Tenn., Galveston, Texas, and Seattle between November 1992 and May 1994.

A team led by Dr. Arthur Kellermann of Emory University reported that the likelihood of being injured by a gun varied from city to city. The annual injury rate was 0.22% in Memphis, 0.14% in Galveston and 0.05% in Seattle.

They concluded that the overwhelming prevalence of handgun injuries was probably caused by “the ability of handguns to be concealed readily and their ease of use.”