THE TIME FOR REDUCING GUN VIOLENCE IS NOW

Gun violence pervades every corner of American society. Hardly a day goes by that we are not subjected to news of another mass shooting somewhere in the United States, a shocking death from domestic violence, or even a six-year-old child seriously wounding his classroom teacher as recently occurred in Virginia.

Morbidity and mortality from firearms, whether intentional or accidental, are tragedies that destroy individual lives and families while disrupting the social fabric that holds communities together. According to Berks County District Attorney John Adams, gun violence in Reading and in similar size communities across Pennsylvania is increasing. Moreover, Mr. Adams notes that when a gun is involved, any act of violence is much more likely to become lethal.

Among the worst of this violence are the all-too-common mass shootings (648 in 2022 alone according to “Gun Violence Archive,” a research/data collection organization) in our churches, synagogues, places of work, and other public venues, but none worse than in our schools. As at least one observer has noted, such acts of terror are more than tragedies, they are abominations that should not be tolerated by any civilized society. And yet is anyone truly surprised following Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland, and Uvalde when another school shooting occurs?

For over 30 years, since the passage of the “Brady Bill” in 1993 mandating background checks and certain other restrictions on firearm use, no additional federal firearm legislation was passed while thousands of gun-related deaths occurred each year, many involving children. Although Congress did pass the “Safer Communities Act” in 2022, critics argue that even that effort fails to protect us from the worst of this violence. As courts, government officials, community leaders, and others argue over ways to stem the increase in gun violence, it is timely to ask what role physicians and their health care colleagues can play in these efforts and specifically if there is a public health response to this national crisis which threatens lives and the safety of our communities.

The cover article in this issue of the Medical Record discusses the challenges of reducing gun violence and the opportunities for all of us, especially health care workers, to decrease such risks to health and life. At the very least we should recognize as District Attorney Adams notes: “There are too many people with too many guns with intent to do harm” to themselves or others.

The challenge is before us: “If not us who, if not now, when?” Let us seek ways to find common ground to take steps to promote gun safety and to enact and enforce “common sense” laws that protect us all and make our communities safer.

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