AMA Responds to Tragic Gun Violence Incidents

Aug 05, 2019 at 04:25 pm by Staff


Statement from Patrice Harris, M.D., M.A., President, American Medical Association:

"The devastating gun violence tragedies in our nation this weekend are heartbreaking to physicians across America. We see the victims in our emergency departments and deliver trauma care to the injured, provide psychiatric care to the survivors, and console the families of the deceased. The frequency and scale of these mass shootings demands action.

"Everyone in America, including immigrants, aspires to the ideals of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Those shared values - not hatred or division - are the guiding light for efforts to achieve a more perfect union.

"Common-sense steps, broadly supported by the American public, must be advanced by policymakers to prevent avoidable deaths and injuries caused by gun violence. We must also address the pathology of hatred that has too often fueled these mass murders and casualties."