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Gun violence in America, a trauma surgeon's view [1]

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Date: 2024-07-14  

I am a trauma surgeon. I am a father, husband, brother, and grandfather. I'm a progressive. I love this country deeply. I wish there was something that I could say or write that would snap us out of our catatonic trance. We believe, as a nation, that guns are inherently good. We believe that good people can do good things with guns. For some reason, we are completely blinded to the fact that good people rarely do good things with guns. On the other hand, bad people often do bad things with guns. This is what I see, as a trauma surgeon.



As everyone knows by now, former president Donald Trump has been shot. He was shot at one of his own rallies. It appears that he was shot by a 20-year-old who had an AR-15. First of all, I pray for the health and safety of Donald Trump. I'm a progressive. I believe that life is sacred. I do not like Donald Trump. I hate his politics but I do not wish him ill. I wish him a full and speedy recovery so that he can lose to Joe Biden in November, fair and square. Secondly, a man who cannot buy alcohol in many states who cannot rent a car, somehow got hold of an AR-15. This is the problem in our nation.

As a nation, we often get fixated on mass shootings. They get a lot of media coverage. We must realize that mass shootings make up less than 5% of all gun injuries. We all know the stats. Over 17,000 Americans have been injured by guns this year. Over 9,000 Americans have been killed by gun violence. When we turn on the local news, nearly every day, someone gets shot. This is the reality. Guns are everywhere. There are in small towns. There are in big cities. Guns are not a New York, Boston, Atlanta, Houston problem. Guns are an American problem.

Here are several recommendations designed to curb gun violence:

all guns must be registered

you must be 21 or older to own a gun.

all guns designed with significant offensive of capacity should be reclassified under the National Firearms Act (high-capacity, magazine fed, semi automatic rifles)

just as drivers are required to take drivers education, firearm owners should be required to take a firearm safety course

the person who is legally registered to own the gun is legally responsible for anything that happens with his/her weapon

firearms should be removed from those individuals who are deemed to be a risk to themselves or others. There should be legal proceedings and legal standards to remove firearms from these individuals. At the same time, there should be legal proceedings and legal standards for when these individuals are no longer a threat. If they are deemed no longer a threat, they should be able to have their firearms returned.

The firearm industry should be encouraged to develop weapons which reduce self-harm, prevent unintentional discharge and prevent unintended use by anyone other than the registered owner

we need to fund firearm research. We need to truly understand the problem. Funding like this can only come from Congress.

I know we've been down this road before. This seems to be the road that leads to nowhere. The only way we finally knockdown these roadblocks is by continually applying pressure. American lives are too important for us to stop advocating.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/7/14/2254219/-Gun-violence-in-America-a-trauma-surgeon-s-view?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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