Toy Guns, Real Danger: An Update on Pediatric Injury Patterns Related to Nonpowder Weapons

Background: Design changes of nonpowder guns, including BB and air guns, have significantly increased their potential to injure. We sought to characterize the demographics of children injured with nonpowder weapons and the specific injuries suffered.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of the study years 2006, 2009, and 2012 was performed by combining the Kids' Inpatient Database into a single dataset. We identified cases (age < 21 years) of air gun injuries using external cause of injury codes. Patient characteristics and injuries were analyzed using ICD-9 codes, and national estimates were obtained using case weighting.

Results: There were 1028 pediatric admissions for nonpowder weapon related injuries. The victims were predominately male (87.0%), non-Hispanic white (52.3%), resided in the South (47.3%), and in the lowest income quartile (39.2%). Half required a major surgical procedure. The predominant injuries were open wounds to the head, neck, or trunk (40.3%), and contusion (22.5%). Notable other injuries were intracranial injury (9.1%) and blindness or vision defects (3.3%).

Conclusions: The nonpowder weapons available to this generation can paralyze, blind, and cause lasting injury to children. Injuries frequently require surgical intervention, and these weapons should no longer be considered toys. Further research and legislation should be aimed at limiting children's access to these weapons.

Level Of Evidence: III.