According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2009, 31, 347 people died from firearm injuries.

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Overall firearm injuries were down 2% from the year before.

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She and her colleagues knew they were on to something, putting together a research letter called " Firearm Injuries of Children and Adolescents in 2 Colorado Trauma Centers: 2000-2008, " which was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

CNN: Kids and guns: 'These are not isolated tragedies'

Wintemute said the researchers did a good job with the limited data they had available but said the larger problem dates back to the 1990s, when the National Rifle Association inserted language into the CDC's appropriation that limited its work on how to reduce firearm injuries.

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In October, a committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement on firearm-related injuries.

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"This study shows firearm injures are more likely to result in a death or a treatment in the ICU than other injuries, " he said.

CNN: Kids and guns: 'These are not isolated tragedies'