Posted on 03/12/2015 6:01:13 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
The American College of Physicians, combined with the American Bar Association and eight other professional organizations, has issued a call for action to stem the national crisis in firearm deaths and injuries. In a white paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, they point out that more than 32,000 deaths a year are the result of gun violence. The United States has the most gun deaths of any industrialized nation. In addition, the number of injuries caused by guns is more than double the death number. The Children's Safety Network estimated that in 2010, gun violence cost $174 billion. The ACP considers gun violence a national health crisis. They have proposed six starting steps needed to begin to bring this crisis under control:
1) Universal background checks. There is statistical evidence that present limited background checks do weed out a substantial number of unstable individuals who should not own a gun. Unfortunately, many of these individuals can easily get around this restraint by purchasing a weapon at a gun show or from a private individual.
2) Repeal all physician "gag laws." There are states where it is a crime for a physician to ask his patient if he owns a gun. There are no rationally justifiable reasons for these laws, and if not repealed, every physician has an ethical obligation that exceeds the right of the state to enforce such laws.
3) Improve access to mental health services. The American Psychiatric Association has published a position statement on firearm access that clearly shows that early identification, intervention and treatment of mental and substance-use disorders reduces firearm-related deaths and injuries. Unfortunately, mental health services are the stepchild of health financing, making access to these services difficult and infrequent.
4) Modify mandatory reporting laws. Many states require mandatory reporting of individuals who show signs of serious injury to themselves or others. These laws often do not provide adequate protection of confidentiality and have resulted in disincentives to patients seeking treatment. There should also be a mechanism for an individual who has lost his right to purchase and possess a firearm because of mental disease to be able to re-establish his right once the mental condition is under control or cured.
5) Establish more reasonable laws concerning ownership of military-style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. The only person who needs an assault-type weapon to hunt is the shooter who cannot hit the side of the barn with a modern lever-action hunting rifle. The argument of the insecure and paranoid fringe that they need such a rifle to protect themselves from a dictatorial government is nonsense.
6) Research. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health should be adequately funded to study firearm violence and methods for preventing gun violence. Scientifically studying gun violence could improve gun safety not only for the average citizen but also for the gun user.
First, police use training videos that are designed to test and shorten the defendant officer's reaction time. This is so ingrained in the policeman's psyche that he has come to believe that he must shoot first or be killed. Does this type of training result in a significant increase in unjustified shootings? Might training in which the officer is taught to first fall prostrate to the ground be a more-efficient training exercise? Would falling prone result in fewer accidental killings? Falling to the ground would provide less of a target area, might confuse the offender and would give the officer additional time to evaluate the situation while at the same time studying his shot if needed. Presently there is no data to even begin to analyze these questions.
Second, consider the recent threat of mall shootings raised by Islamic jihadists. If 1 or 2 percent of the people in the mall had legally concealed weapons -- or, for that matter, open-carry loaded weapons -- would this deter attacks or make the situation more chaotic? I doubt that a standard handgun would deter a suicidal jihadist when he comes with body armor and a rapid-fire assault weapon. Would the presence of several armed citizens make it difficult for the responding police to tell the good guys from the bad guys? Again, there is no scientific data available to use in trying to analyze this situation.
None of these recommended points is in any way contrary to the Second Amendment. I am in full agreement with these efforts and believe the time is long past since these recommendations should have been instituted. I am, however, realistic and believe none of this will be done until there is recognition of the individual, social, economic and political harm that has been done to this country by the gun lobby.
William D. Bezdek , M.D., is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a retired cardiologist.
Communism is evil
The MSM, the Left, and Obama’s obsession over controlling people’s access to guns is a mental health issue.
What a Communist crock.
Violence of all types is an African American Health Crisis to be more accurate by the numbers.
OPINION: Gun-grabbing nanny-staters are a threat to public health and safety.
(The difference is, my opinion can be backed up with actual facts.)
Black Lives Matter - except when blacks are killing blacks.
The Second Amendment IS Pro-Life.
Let's subjugate them to OUR end game, DUST! 
Besides SUBSIDIZED military surplus, the Swiss can buy other firearms easily too. They can jam their proposed six steps when the sun doesn’t shine.
As with everything liberal, facts are only useful when the help drive the agenda forward.
Malpractice by physicians, nurses and hospital staff is a health crisis that costs many more deaths than the criminal use of firearms.
Then there is abuse of OTC drugs.
A simple example:
Acetaminophen and the U.S. Acute Liver Failure Study Group: lowering the risks of hepatic failure.
Lee WM1.
Abstract
Acetaminophen overdose is the leading cause for calls to Poison Control Centers (>100,000/year) and accounts for more than 56,000 emergency room visits, 2,600 hospitalizations, and an estimated 458 deaths due to acute liver failure each year. Data from the U.S. Acute Liver Failure Study Group registry of more than 700 patients with acute liver failure across the United States implicates acetaminophen poisoning in nearly 50% of all acute liver failure in this country. Available in many single or combination products, acetaminophen produces more than 1 billion US dollars in annual sales for Tylenol products alone. It is heavily marketed for its safety compared to nonsteroidal analgesics. By enabling self-diagnosis and treatment of minor aches and pains, its benefits are said by the Food and Drug Administration to outweigh its risks. It still must be asked: Is this amount of injury and death really acceptable for an over-the-counter pain reliever?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15239078
If the Democrats want the 2nd Amendment nullified they should just
try to repeal the 2nd Amendment, and Churches while they're there. Go ahead
and try it. Oh, and that 10th Amendment thing inhibits the Feds for so
many other various reasons. And the 14th, 16th, OH SCREW IT, just get
rid of the whole damned thing and replace it with the Communist manifesto
so they can just order the Police to kill people who disagree with them.
This crap again? Go away Doc.
and so it begins. This will morph into a move to get rid of 2A because it conflicts with the general welfare comment in the preamble.
* Seventy percent of violent felons had a prior arrest record, and 57% had at least one prior arrest for a felony. Sixty-seven percent of murderers and 73% of those convicted of robbery or assault had an arrest record. * A majority (56%) of violent felons had a prior conviction record. Thirty-eight percent had a prior felony conviction and 15% had a previous conviction for a violent felony. ... Race and ethnicity Forty-one percent of violent felons were black, non- Hispanic , 30% were Hispanic, and 26% were white, non-Hispanic. Blacks (46%) comprised a higher percentage of murderers than Hispanics (27%) or whites (23%)."Stop and frisk" conducted on members of high-risk groups would be much more effective in lowering gun homicide rates.
I propose a law to cull prospective psychiatrists & lawyers from the herd.
Great. What could go wrong there.
Now it makes sense.
> “In addition, the number of injuries caused by guns is more than double the death number.”
This line kills the credibility of his argument and makes it ound like political grandstanding IMO. Where in the hell would they come up with this data where it could have any degree of accuracy? This sounds like another leftist make up the figures on the fly statement. Leftists love to make up $hip as they go along. It just sounds contrived to me
"Prostrate - stretched out with face on the ground in adoration or submission" Merriam-Webster
Just bend over and take it, eh, Doc?
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