Incidence rates of firearm injuries in Galveston, Texas, 1979-1981

Firearm injury mortality rates have been characterized in various settings, but little is known of the total magnitude of firearm injury, including morbidity. The authors determined population-based incidence rates of firearm injury among residents of Galveston, Texas, from 1979-1981 by using police, emergency department, hospital, emergency medical services, medical examiner, and vital records to identify 239 firearm injury cases. Vital records, medical examiner, and police records each identified more than 95% of the fatalities, but police records (sensitivity = 98%) were better than emergency department or hospital records (sensitivity = 82% and 28%, respectively) for identifying all nonfatal cases. The annual age-adjusted incidence rate of firearm injury was 128 per 100,000 persons. Black males, with the highest firearm injury rate (459 per 100,000 persons), were injured at 46 times the rate of white females (10 per 100,000 persons). The overall case fatality rate was 30%, including 25% of the assaults/homicides, 81% of the parasuicides/suicides, and 0% of the unintentional injuries. On the basis of the case fatality rates, an estimated 140,000 firearm injuries occur in the United States annually. The case fatality rate for penetrating head injuries was 80% versus 48% for chest injuries and 6% for all other parts of the body. The results are discussed with respect to policy recommendations for reducing firearm injuries.