Free Republic

A pediatric emergency medicine physician is urging doctors to join the effort for gun control by asking about gun ownership while performing health histories on their patients. A panel titled “The Tipping Point: Activating a Public Health Movement to Address Gun Violence” was featured at the American Public Health Association (APHA)’s 2015 annual meeting in Chicago earlier in November. The panel called for a view of gun violence as a public health emergency situation.

As part of the White House response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, President Barack Obama emphasized the importance of preventing access to guns “for those who would commit acts of violence.” In order to accomplish that objective, the Administration announced that it would engage the regulatory process to close loopholes in the background check system for purchasing firearms.