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Abstract
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The events in Newtown, Connecticut, described in the Perspective article by Wintemute (Jan. 31 issue)1 were not only national tragedies for the United States but human tragedies for the world.
Many sovereign nations have experienced the pain of mass shootings. In April 1996, a man armed with two semiautomatic weapons killed 35 people in Australia. Despite considerable opposition, the government at the time swiftly legislated against ownership of automatic and semiautomatic weapons. State-based laws were repealed for national laws, and large-scale buyback schemes were instituted.2 One fifth of the stock of firearms in Australia was removed. After these actions, the rate of firearm-related deaths in Australia was cut in half.3 In the 18 years before 1996, there were 13 mass shootings.4 There have been none since.
Given the potential to reduce by half the 8000 homicides by firearms that occur annually in the United States,5 we remind doctors that this is not just an issue of law but also of public health. We urge clinicians in the United States to take the lead in supporting the reforms described in Wintemute's article.
1 Wintemute, GJTragedy's legacy. N Engl J Med 2013;368:397-399
2 Howard JW. Lazarus rising: a personal and political autobiography. Sydney: HarperCollins, 2011:247-54.
3 Alpers P, Wilson M. Guns in Australia: facts, figures and firearm law. Sydney: Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, 2013 (http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/compareyears/10/total_number_of_gun_deaths).
4 Chapman, S, Alpers, P, Agho, K, Jones, MAustralia's 1996 gun law reforms: faster falls in firearm deaths, firearm suicides, and a decade without mass shootings. Inj Prev 2006;12:365-372
5 Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States 2011 (http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/expanded-homicide-data-table-8).
Language: en |