Is It Time for Physicians to Focus on the Public Health Threat of Gun Violence?

Abstract

Letters4 June 2013Is It Time for Physicians to Focus on the Public Health Threat of Gun Violence?E. Lee Murray, MDE. Lee Murray, MDFrom West Tennessee Neuroscience, Jackson, Tennessee.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-158-11-201306040-00022 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:I read Dr. Laine and the editors' editorial (1) with great interest; however, I was disappointed that a well-respected scientific journal is taking a polarizing stand on such a divisive political issue—gun control. Although the recent massacres have torn the hearts of people across the country and around the world, they are not reasons to push physicians to participate in gun control.One argument made in the editorial is that reducing the number of guns will lead to a decline in murder and suicide rates. Although common sense and reasoning would seem to validate this argument, it ...