Citation

Konstam MA, Konstam AD. Circulation 2019; 139(22): 2499-2501.

Affiliation

Everytown for Gun Safety, New York (A.D.K.).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Heart Association, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.118.039504

PMID

31136223

Abstract

Should cardiovascular professional and academic organizations take a stand on gun violence? Each of us has his/her personal view on a legislative approach to gun violence and its management. But how do our organizations determine whether to formulate a policy on this issue? One reasonable approach is to ask whether there is an association between gun violence and cardiovascular health. At present, there is little direct evidence for such an association, but how much do we really know? If there is a rationale, based on other evidence, for exploring such an association, should we join the chorus seeking to reverse the federal ban on funding for gun-related research?

More broadly based medical societies are speaking out about gun violence as a general public health issue because between 35 000 and 40 000 Americans lose their lives annually and 100 000 others are injured through firearms ...

Language: en

Keywords

cardiovascular diseases; gun violence