Show Gun G Aident report rt for 59 I The need for lor Utah's comprehensive comprehensive compre compre- survival training and hunter safety instruction for first time lime hunters was cited again agam today by department offish of or offish fish and game officials in a release listing a summary of 70 gun which occurred occurred oc oc- in the state slate during 1959 The report lists 24 ac dents during hunting of or game species 21 during rabbit hunts 4 while hunting hinting other animals and 21 which did not occur while hunting Five Fhe of the 49 accidents which while hunting game and species resulted re re- suited in death to the victim the others in varying degrees of injury These totals are arc among the highest turned in b by the state in past years and are attributed attributed attrib attrib- largely to careless gun handling c coupled o 0 u p pIe l e d with increased increased in in- creased use of guns The report points up the overwhelming over over- overwhelming whelming need of the hunter safety training traming program which was passed by the 1959 session of the legislature and which becomes becomes be be- comes effective April 1 1 1960 The 1959 report compilation compilation com coin includes the following data pertaining to hunting accidents accidents accidents ac ac- Of the wounds sustained while hunting 19 were self inflicted 30 were inflicted by others Twenty one of the accidents oc oc- occurred while hunting rabbits 15 during big game hunts 7 wh while le hunting upland g game a ni e birds and 2 during the waterfowl waterfowl waterfowl water water- fowl season Four accidents occurred oc oc- cut red during other hunting actIvities activities activities ac ac- Most frequent causes of the accidents listed 9 cases where the victim was out of or sight of or orthe the shooter 5 where the victim vic victim vie vic tim tine was covered by the shooter swinging on game and 3 1 each where the thc v victim ct m was mistaken for or game where the trigger caught on brush while loading a weapon and during horse horse- play Other accidents were caused by victim moving into the line of fire placing a weapon n inor inor in inor or removing it from an automobile automobile auto auto- mobile crossing a fence with a loaded gun and the shooter stumbling or falling fall mg S Several e v e era r a l 1 other interesting facts were disclosed by the re re- port One of these was that in n 23 of the hunting the shooter was under 19 years ears of age Time The report also noted that 24 of or the hunting oc- oc cured at close ranges 50 yards ards or under T V T e 21 gun accidents not connected connected con con- with hunting resulted in inG G r fatalities Fourteen of or these 21 injuries were self inflicted and unlike years previous only only on on- ly Iy 6 G of the victims were ju ju ju- Most frequent cause of ng was listed listed listed list list- ed in the thc horseplay or I 1 didn't know the gun was loaded loaded loaded load load- ed category Weapons involved in the 70 accidents were 31 rifles Twenty Twenty- se ent handguns and 12 shotguns |