FOI Ref: FOI/2021/2798
You asked
I am trying to get any information on accidental deaths or injuries caused by shotgun in England or the British Isles. This code (e922.1) seem to be the one for deaths caused by shotgun and I would like the statistics from 1901-2000 and any similar from 2001-2021 if possible.
If you have any information on accidental injuries or hospital visits caused by shotgun I would also like that or if you can point me in the right direction to find this it would be a great help thanks very much for your time.
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
We are responsible for the production of mortality data for England and Wales, this is driven by information collected from the death certificate at death registration. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for statistics pertaining to Scotland and Northern Ireland. They can be contacted at foi@nrscotland.gov.uk and info@nisra.gov.uk respectively.
The underlying cause of death is coded using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). From 1979 to 2000, version 9 of the ICD (ICD-9) was used to code cause of death, whilst from 2001 onwards, version 10 (ICD-10) has been used. Cause of death is not directly comparable across different versions of the ICD.
For 1901 to 2000 the number of deaths by underlying cause are available from the 20th Century Mortality Files, 1901-2000: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/the21stcenturymortalityfilesdeathsdataset
The following ICD-9 codes would be used for gun deaths between 1980 and 2000:
| E922.1 | Accident caused by shotgun (automatic) |
|---|---|
| E955.1 | Suicide and self-inflicted injury by shotgun |
| E965.1 | Assault by shotgun |
| E985.1 | Injury by shotgun, undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted |
Download this table
.xls .csvFor 2001-2020 the number of deaths by underlying cause are available from the 21st century mortality files - deaths dataset, England and Wales: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/the21stcenturymortalityfilesdeathsdataset
The following ICD-10 codes would be used for gun deaths for 2001 onwards. The latest data available is for 2020.
| W33 | Rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge |
|---|---|
| X73 | Intentional self-harm by rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge |
| X94 | Assault by rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge |
| Y23 | Rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge, undetermined intent |
Download this table
.xls .csvf this does not meet your needs, we may be able to create a custom output. Information on deaths by specific IC9/ICD10 code for England and Wales, along with other special extracts and tabulations of mortality data for England and Wales are available to order (subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs, where appropriate).
Such enquiries would fall outside of the Freedom of Information regime and should be made to: Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.
Unfortunately, we do not have access to data relating to accidental injuries or hospital admissions for shotgun injuries. NHS Digital may be better placed to answer your enquiry. They can be contacted via email at enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk
As part of our regular Crime Statistics outputs, we also publish an article entitled Homicide in England and Wales: year ending March 2020, which contains analyses of homicide offences held within the Home Office Homicide Index.
Appendix table 5a, published alongside these tables, specifically shows a breakdown of numbers of homicide offences by apparent method of killing and does include shooting as a method. Links to these tables and the publication are below: