“Despite the tragic mass murders of the last few years at Virginia Tech, Aurora and Newtown, we seem to be, at best, treading water, and, at worst, sinking deeper. Each year, firearms kill more than 32,000 Americans — or 88 per day — from homicides, suicides, and accidental events. Frankly, the threats from foreign terrorism seem miniscule in comparison. Even ignoring the above-noted earth-shaking events, the daily toll alone should provide enough reason to do something significant, but, sadly, that has not happened.

It’s obvious from these statistics that shooting mayhem has gone far beyond being just a criminal justice issue and is now a true public health emergency. In response, the American College of Physicians (ACP) authorized and published a position paper in June entitled, “Reducing Firearm-Related Injuries and Deaths in the United States.” This study is the product of a thoughtful and comprehensive process involving multiple layers of the ACP and even included non-ACP experts on mental health and firearms safety”

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