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Firearm Fatality Report - 2020 Calendar Year

This report summarizes firearm-related deaths and hospitalizations in Maine in 2020. It found that most firearm deaths were by suicide (132 out of 154 total deaths), while homicides accounted for 19 deaths. There were 3 unintentional firearm deaths. Of the 19 homicides, over 1/3 were domestic violence related. Suicide rates for firearms were higher among men than women. There were 39 non-fatal hospitalizations due to firearms, most among men ages 20-34.

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6K views

Firearm Fatality Report - 2020 Calendar Year

This report summarizes firearm-related deaths and hospitalizations in Maine in 2020. It found that most firearm deaths were by suicide (132 out of 154 total deaths), while homicides accounted for 19 deaths. There were 3 unintentional firearm deaths. Of the 19 homicides, over 1/3 were domestic violence related. Suicide rates for firearms were higher among men than women. There were 39 non-fatal hospitalizations due to firearms, most among men ages 20-34.

Uploaded by

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Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Janet T.

Mills Maine Department of Health and Human Services


Governor Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
11 State House Station
286 Water Street
Jeanne M. Lambrew, Ph.D.
Augusta, Maine 04333-0011
Commissioner
Tel; (207) 287-8016; Fax (207) 287-9058
TTY: Dial 711 (Maine Relay)

REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE

TO: Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services


FROM: Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Maine DHHS
DATE: June 1, 2022
RE: Report pursuant to 22 MRS, Ch. 256-A §1425

To comply with 22 MRS, Ch. 256-A §1425, the Maine CDC submits this initial report representing the
available data for firearm-related deaths and hospitalizations occurring in Maine from January 2020
through December 2020 as provided to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine
CDC) by its partners, including Maine Health Data Organization (MHDO), the Office of the Medical
Examiner and Maine Department of Public Safety (DPS). Additional sources of data specific to
incidents involving the use of a firearm and information beyond the scope of this legislative report
mandate have been identified and included, but are not limited to the following: Maine’s Violent Death
Reporting System, Maine’s Domestic Violence and Homicide Review Panel and National Electronic
Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP).

FIREARM DEATHS: OVERALL

In Maine in 2020, there were 154 deaths by firearms. Of these deaths, 19 were homicides, 3 were
unintentional, and 132 were suicides.

FIREARM DEATHS IN MAINE, 2020

Category Total Percent


Suicide 132 86%
Homicide 19 12%
Unintentional 3 2%
2020 Total 154 100%

Suicide Homicide Unintentional

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UNINTENTIONAL FIREARM DEATHS

Unintentional firearm deaths are when a person dies by a firearm discharging unintentionally.

Unintentional Deaths by Firearm


Age Group 2020
<15 0
15-24 1
25-34 1
35-44 0
45-54 0
55-64 1
65+ 0
2020 Total 3
Source: Maine Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, Maine Office of Data, Research and Vital
Statistics, Death certificate data

HOMICIDE

In Maine in 2020, there were 19 firearm-related homicides. Of these, more than 1 in 3 were domestic
violence (DV) homicides. According to Maine’s Domestic Violence Homicide Review Panel, about
40% of domestic violence homicide perpetrators use a firearm to kill their victim.

Homicide Deaths by Firearm Notes: Firearm homicide data were run from the death
Age DV records filed and registered with Data, Research, and Vital
2020 Statistics, and compared with the Maine State Police
Group (subset)
<15 0 0 Report on homicides, found on their website
15-24 4 1 (https://www.maine.gov/dps/msp/media-center/homicide-
lists/2020-homicides). The Office of Chief Medical
25-34 5 1
Examiner provided input on records not found on the State
35-44 3 1
Police website.
45-54 1 0
55-64 5 3 The following ICD 10 codes were used to identify firearm
65-74 1 1 deaths: W32, W33, W34, X73, X74, X94, X95, Y23, Y24,
75+ 0 0 and Y35
2020 Total 19 7
Source: Maine Vital Records, Maine CDC,
Department of Health and Human
Services, Maine State Police, Department
of Public Safety, and the Office of Chief
Medical Examiner, Maine Attorney
General's Office.

As of January 2022, DPS will implement a revised data collection form to require law enforcement
agencies to submit additional data elements for firearm-related incidents occurring January 1, 2021 and
after.

Page 2 of 3
SUICIDE

Suicide is the ninth leading cause of death in Maine1. In 2020, 234 Mainers died by suicide. Of these
deaths, 56% used a firearm. Men are more likely to die by suicide using a firearm than women.

Age Group Notes: Suicide related


10-24 25-44 45-64 65+ Total deaths are defined as deaths
Female 1 4 8 1 14 of Maine residents for which
the underlying cause of
Male 12 29 36 41 118
death was coded as ICD-10
2020 Total 13 33 44 42 132
U03 X60-X84 or Y87.0.
Data Source: Maine death certificates, Maine CDC Data, Research and Vital
Statistics.

HOSPITALIZATIONS

In 2020, there were 39 hospitalizations due to a firearm in Maine. Of these, 34 (87%) were men and 18
(46%) were between the ages of 20 and 34 years. Most of the firearm-related hospitalizations were due
to either accidental discharge of a firearm or assault.

Non-fatal firearm-related hospital discharges by cause, 2020 Notes: Data include


Cause of Injury Number of Discharges Maine Non-Federal/Non
Psychiatric Acute Care
Accidental discharge or malfunction of firearm 15
Hospital Discharges with
Intentional self-harm by firearm 8
Principal Diagnosis of
Assault by firearm 14
injury and firearm-related
Terrorism involving firearms 0
secondary diagnosis or
Firearm discharge of undetermined intent 1 injury cause code
Legal intervention involving firearm discharge 1
Data Source: Maine Health Data Organization Hospital Inpatient Database 2020

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention publishes data on causes of nonfatal injury via
Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) Nonfatal, providing data from
the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP)2. This surveillance
data informs State and federal public health policies. The NEISS-AIP data provides information about
types of nonfatal injuries in U.S. hospital emergency departments, how common they are, who they
affect, and what causes them.

1
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/maine/maine.htm
2
https://wisqars.cdc.gov/data/non-fatal/home
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