GUNS

GUNS
Safety council reportsfavorable firearm data
NEWTOWN, Conn. -- A report from the National Safety Council shows that accidental firearm-related fatalities continue to decline and are at the lowest level in the history of record keeping. Statistics in the council's "Injury Facts 2004" reveal a 54 percent decrease over a 10-year period ending in 2003.
Last year, 101,537 U.S. residents died in accidents of all types. Less than 1 percent, or 700 deaths, involved firearms. The most common deadly accidents involved motor vehicles, falls and poisonings, claiming 72 percent of all accidental deaths.
"The continuing decline is good news that's attributable to a number of factors, but certainly the overarching theme is increased awareness of gun safety and responsibility," said Doug Painter, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearm industry. NSSF directs a number of initiatives focusing on safety. The most visible is Project ChildSafe, www.projectchildsafe.org, which, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice, has distributed more than 20 million free gun safety information kits, including gun locks, across the country. NSSF also distributes safety literature and videos that emphasize outreach to schools. Additional support is provided for hunter safety programs. Learn more at www.nssf.org or (203) 426-1320.
SKEET
Colormatrix championship
CANTON -- The 2005 Colormatrix Open Championships will be May 13-15 at Sportsmen's Shooting Center.
For information or reservations, call Jim Murphy (330) 705-6001.
CLUBS
Newton Falls banquet
WARREN -- The Newton Falls Sportsmen's Club is hosting its third annual fund-raising banquet, "Cabin Fever 05," at 6 p.m. Feb. 4 at Sorrento's Banquet Hall, Parkman Road. Dinner will be at 8 p.m.
For tickets or more information, call Dave Garvey (330) 872-7983, or people can stop by Rattlesnake Hill Sporting Goods at state Routes 534 and 82 in Braceville, or call (330) 898-8176.