Hunting: One of the Safest Outdoor Activities In 2002, there were 713 hunter incidents in the U.S and Canada according to the International Hunter Education Association. Of these incidents, 68 were fatal and only 15 involved non-hunters being injured. With more than 20 million hunters entering the woods every year, hunters have a one in 350,000 chance of being involved in an incident. "Each year, hunting incidents are played up as common events, but in reality, hunters are probably safer in the woods than they are driving to the woods," said Rob Keck, National Wild Turkey Federation CEO. According to the National Safety Council, a person was 77 times more likely to be killed in an automobile accident than by a firearm in 2003. That year, motor vehicle crashes accounted for almost 44,000 of 101,000 unintentional fatalities, while firearms accounted for only 700. In fact, the National Safety Council's Injury Facts 2004 shows a person is five times more likely to accidentally die from choking than a firearm. Shooting sports in general are safer than most activities and hunters are conscientious about safety. They took the lead in promoting hunting and firearms safety through hunter education courses and the results have been a steady decrease in hunter and firearm incidents. Hunters are concerned and responsible citizens, and they're committed to continuing the downward trend in hunting accidents," said Doug Painter, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. "Firearms accidents overall have been declining for many years and now are at the lowest level in the history of record keeping, thanks to the safety awareness programs of many different organizations." For more information, call (800) THE-NWTF. |