The Epidemic We Can’t Ignore: A Physician’s Plea for Gun Violence Prevention
In 2020, while the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, a silent epidemic raged across the United States: gun violence. That year, an astonishing 45,222 Americans lost their lives to firearms, marking the deadliest year on record. Each death is a personal tragedy, leaving behind grieving families and shattered communities. As an emergency physician and gun owner, I’ve witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of gun violence. I am also the cousin of a man who lost his life to this epidemic, a reality that has profoundly shaped my perspective and fueled my commitment to action.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), a powerful lobbying group, has often sought to silence health professionals by dictating that physicians should "stay in their lane" and avoid discussing gun violence. Yet, the very nature of my profession compels me to speak out. I see the victims, the families, and the relentless cycle of violence.
I have witnessed children injured in accidental shootings, adolescents caught in gang crossfire, and adults struck down by domestic violence. The profound grief and despair I’ve witnessed in emergency rooms and intensive care units leave an indelible mark on the soul. The feeling of helplessness when I have to inform a mother that her child has been killed by a bullet is one that no physician should ever have to experience.
The Call for Evidence-Based Policy
We practice evidence-based medicine, meticulously evaluating research and implementing proven treatments to improve patient care. This same rigor and evidence-based approach should be applied to gun policy. We need to stop treating gun violence as an intractable problem and embrace the wealth of evidence that exists to guide effective solutions.
While randomized controlled trials – the gold standard in medical research – are often difficult to conduct in the realm of gun policy, we can draw upon the findings of natural experiments, where different jurisdictions implement contrasting policies. The RAND Corporation’s "The Science of Gun Policy", a comprehensive study synthesizing research on gun policy in the United States, provides invaluable insights. Though its conclusions are sometimes nuanced and inconclusive, it identifies several crucial policy interventions supported by compelling evidence:
- Universal background checks: Requiring background checks for all firearm purchases, including private sales and online transactions, is a proven measure to prevent individuals with criminal records or dangerous mental health conditions from accessing guns.
- Gun licensing and permits: Implementing licensing and permitting requirements for gun ownership, similar to driver’s licenses, establishes a system of accountability and provides opportunity for safety training.
- Minimum age for firearm purchase: Raising the minimum age for all firearm purchases to 21 years would align with the legal age for alcohol and tobacco purchases, acknowledging the developmental factors that influence responsible gun ownership.
- Strong child access prevention laws: Ensuring that firearms are safely stored and inaccessible to children is crucial in preventing accidental shootings and homicides.
- Waiting periods: Implementing brief waiting periods between a gun purchase and its acquisition provides an opportunity for buyers to reconsider their decision and allows law enforcement to conduct necessary background checks.
- Domestic violence restraining orders: Requiring individuals subject to domestic violence restraining orders to relinquish their firearms is a critical step in protecting domestic violence victims and preventing firearm-related fatalities.
Beyond Prevention: Addressing Systemic Failures
While these policy recommendations create a crucial preventative framework, we must also examine and challenge laws that perpetuate gun violence. Two such laws stand out as particularly troubling:
1. Stand-Your-Ground Laws
Stand-your-ground laws, enacted in several states, create a "shoot first, ask questions later" legal framework. They eliminate the duty to retreat, allowing individuals to use lethal force even when they feel threatened, regardless of whether they could have safely retreated or if the perceived threat was imminent.
The tragic death of Trayvon Martin in 2012 stands as a chilling example of the deadly consequences of stand-your-ground legislation. This law created a climate of fear and suspicion, turning a neighborhood watch patrol into a hunting ground for a young Black man. Martin, a teenager simply walking home from the store, was perceived as a threat and shot dead. His killer, ultimately acquitted of murder due to Florida’s "stand-your-ground" law, was allowed to claim self-defense even though he initiated the confrontation and pursued Martin.
The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other medical organizations have recognized the dangerous consequences of "stand-your-ground" laws and have condemned them as contributing to increased violence and gun deaths.
2. The Castle Doctrine
The Castle Doctrine (also known as the "Make My Day" law) expands the concept of self-defense within one’s home, allowing individuals to use deadly force against intruders without a duty to retreat. While intended to protect homeowners, these laws have been demonstrably linked to an increase in justifiable homicides, often with questionable evidence supporting the need for lethal force.
The Burden of Evidence
The evidence against stand-your-ground laws and the Castle Doctrine is overwhelming. These laws create a culture of fear and retribution, allowing individuals to escalate conflicts with deadly force. They weaken the principles of de-escalation and reasoned judgment, replacing them with a dangerous presumption of violence.
A Call for Responsible Legislation
As physicians, we have a moral obligation to advocate for the health and well-being of our patients. We cannot stand idly by as gun violence ravages our communities year after year. We must demand responsible gun policy based on evidence, not ideology.
We need to repeal stand-your-ground laws and the Castle Doctrine, recognizing they are not tools for self-protection but dangerous legal loopholes that encourage unnecessary violence. We need to embrace evidence-based policies and invest in programs that address the root causes of gun violence, including mental health services, poverty alleviation, and community-based conflict resolution.
We need to reject the false choice presented by the NRA and other gun rights groups: that we must choose between responsible gun ownership and public safety. The reality is that these two objectives are not mutually exclusive.
It’s time to end the tragic epidemic of gun violence. We must do better. We must do more. Our lives, and the lives of future generations, depend on it.
