PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - J. D. Langley AU - R. N. Norton AU - J. C. Alsop AU - S. W. Marshall TI - Airgun injuries in New Zealand, 1979-92. AID - 10.1136/ip.2.2.114 DP - 1996 Jun 01 TA - Injury Prevention PG - 114--117 VI - 2 IP - 2 4099 - http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/2/2/114.short 4100 - http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/2/2/114.full SO - Inj Prev1996 Jun 01; 2 AB - OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology of serious airgun injury in New Zealand. METHODS: Cases were selected from the New Zealand Health Information Service's hospital inpatient morbidity data files for the period 1979 to 1992 inclusive. RESULTS: There were 718 airgun related injuries resulting in 1.56 injuries/100,000 population/year. Males and 10-14 year olds had higher than average rates of injury. The majority of the incidents were unintentional. There has been a marked decline in injury rates since 1989. CONCLUSIONS: Airgun injuries, while not as serious as powder firearm injuries, account for a significant personal and societal burden. The results suggest that strategies aimed at controlling these injuries, especially those pertaining to children, are in need of review.