U. S. researchers have said that seventy-eight percent of teens and children age 15 and under who die in gun accidents are shot by a friend or brother.

David Hemenway of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and colleagues Catherine Barber and Matthew Miller, for the study, used data from 17 states participating in the National Violent Death Reporting System of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2003 to 2006.

It has been reported that among the 363 unintentional firearm deaths during the study period, about half were inflicted by others. Of these shooting deaths, four out of five of the shooters were under age 25, and one in three, was under age 15.

The study also said that the overwhelming majority of deaths were by a friend, brother or acquaintance. Fewer than 2 percent were inflicted by strangers.

It was also found by the study that fifty-nine percent of the fatal shooting took place in private homes.

Hemenway said in a statement, "The young age of most of the shooters and victims shows what can happen when young people get their hands on a gun. Youth with guns are a danger to themselves, but even more so to their friends and family."

The journal Accident Analysis and Prevention has published the study. (With inputs from Agencies)