Citation

Chung YA. Leg. Med. (Elsevier) 2003; 5(Suppl 1): S247-51.

Affiliation

Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office, Detroit, MI 48207, USA. ychung@co.wayne.mi.us

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Japanese Society of Legal Medicine, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12935602

Abstract

This presentation will demonstrate the dangers of using a loaded gun as a blunt force object and designing toy guns to mimic realistic weapons. The ultimate goals of this presentation are to increase public education by promoting strict adherence to standard guidelines for safe gun usage, and to re-evaluate the future of toy gun designs that realistically mirror designs of current weapons. In a review of firearm deaths in the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office (Detroit, Michigan, USA) over 10-year period from 1990 to 2000, there was an average of 500 cases of firearm deaths per year. This figure includes homicides, suicides and accidents. Among the 500 cases, seven of the most unusual self-inflicted accidental gunshot deaths are selected for this presentation.