Gun Violence and Doctors

Dear Daniel: An article titled "Guns are a health issue-doctors shouldn't be muzzled" published in todays's Miami Herald highlights the the fact that, despite our politicians denial, guns are a health issue. Together with my colleagues Drs. Judith Schaechter and Tommy Schechtman we continue to raise awareness about the growing epidemic of gun related injuries and deaths among children and young adolescents. In 2010, 15,576 children and teenagers were injured by firearms — three times more than the number of U.S. soldiers injured in the war in Afghanistan. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, nationally, guns still kill twice as many children and young people than cancer, five times as many than heart disease and 15 times more than infection. Worst of all the unquestionable epidemic of firearm injuries morphed into an endemic , a self-sustaining illness maintained in the population without the need for external inputs. This has been described in an article by Katherine Kaufer Christoffel titled " Firearm Injuries: Epidemic Then, Endemic Now." Despite these indisputable, disturbing and troubling facts our politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike, refuse to accept this reality ! They care more about NRA rankings than our precious children injured and killed by firearms. The recent decision by President Obama to put the surgeon general nominee on hold because he dares to support gun control epitomized the reality detachment of our political cast, or maybe the dominating control of the NRA. W will continue our fight to defend our children's health and lives regardless of the outcome of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decision and need your support. Yours Bernd