Physicians for the Prevention of Gun Violence Aim to Optimize Gun Safety

Physicians for the Prevention of Gun Violence Focus on Optimizing Gun Safety TAKING AIM

BY KATE SAGE, D.O.

Imagine an ailment that kills one hundred people a day in the U.S., harms at least twice as many more, and a ects citizens of the United States far more than any other developed country. Next, imagine that doctors do not talk about that ailment with their patients and that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) have been discouraged from researching this ailment for the past 24 years. It sounds like a giant conspiracy theory, right?  e reality is that it’s the public health crisis of gun violence in the United States.

Dr. Sonya Lewis, MD, MPH, and a psychiatrist in Ann Arbor, MI explains: “On average, 100 people die every day from guns in the U.S., and approximately 60% of these deaths are suicides.  at is why Physicians for the Prevention of Gun Violence was founded.”

Gun violence is a major cause of death in the United States, and physician groups from the American Academy of Pediatrics to the American Medical Association are o ering recommendations about gun safety and mortality prevention.

“It’s a public health crisis,” Lewis said.

One of the goals of Physicians for the Prevention of Gun Violence is to help physicians speak to their patients about gun safety.

“We want to normalize the process of physicians and patients discussing guns,” Lewis expained. “It shouldn’t be any di erent than a physician asking about bike helmets, car seats, and smoke detectors.”

 e organization aims to discuss gun safety without judgement.

“We’re not about con scation, we’re about partnering with our patients to optimize gun safety,” Lewis said.

On the most basic level, the proper storage of guns, the proper handling of guns, and the proper education about guns contribute overall to gun safety both at home and in public.

Congress has also recently realized that gun violence and gun safety are more than a political issue. Since 1996, there has been no public funding to track gun violence or gun deaths, and no federal funding for gun violence prevention.  e reason is because of the “Dickey Amendment” in 1996, which banned federally funded research that would “advocate or promote gun control.” As a result, research on gun violence essentially came to a halt.

 is changed in 2019 when Congress dedicated $25 million to the CDC and NIH for research on gun violence.  e funding is not political; it’s about the scienti c tracking and categorizing of a deadly epidemic in the United States which is caused from the use of guns. Still, $25 million is far less than the amount of money that goes into, for example, research for motor vehicle accidents or in uenza. However, the symbolism of the funding from Congress will likely inspire scientists to resume research on gun safety.

Even the NRA o ers tips on gun safety, including never using drugs and/or alcohol while shooting, storing a gun so it is not accessible to unauthorized people, always keeping the gun unloaded until time to use it, wearing eye and ear protection, and making sure to make sure the gun is clean and safe to use before shooting.

Gun laws specifi c to Michigan

Here are some excerpts taken from the Giffords Law Center. The law center was started by Gabrielle Giffords, a congresswoman from Arizona who was shot in the head in 2012.

· Michigan does require background checks when a private seller is selling to a purchaser for handguns, but not for long guns.

· There are laws that require reporting to law enforcement when a handgun is purchased or if a fi rearm is stolen.

· There is no law requiring fi rearms dealers to obtain a state license.

· There is no law requiring a waiting period to get a gun.

· There is no limit to the number of guns that can be purchased at one time.

· Local governments are not allowed to regulate fi rearms in Michigan.

· Law enforcement does not have the discretion to deny a concealed handgun license.