For the first time since the 1950s, when officials first started keeping records on the issue, the New York state hunting season in 2015 saw not a single accidental shooting fatality, state officials reported. Overall, there were 23 hunting incidents in New York state in 2015—down from 40 incidents in 2010—giving 2015 the third-lowest annual number on record, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation announced Wednesday.
Fish and game authorities everywhere report the same story, with hunting accidents dropping dramatically in Pennsylvania, Texas and across the country, not just among hunters but among all gun owners. Accidental firearm fatalities have fallen to the lowest levels ever recorded, even as the number of privately owned firearms in the U.S. continues to skyrocket.
Even more encouraging, accident rates aren’t only falling among adults: NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program has reached more than 28 million kids since it was introduced in 1988, helping reduce accidental firearm fatalities among children by 75 percent.
