Citation

Dodson NA, Hemenway DA. Pediatrics 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Academy of Pediatrics)

DOI

10.1542/peds.2019-3333

PMID

32527749

Abstract

Since the National Rifle Association's statement that physicians should "stay in [our] lane" and avoid talking about gun violence, many doctors have been stirred to speak up. Using the hashtag "#thisisourlane," doctors have publicly shared photographs of blood-stained scrubs and shoes, documenting our first-hand encounters with the tragedy of gun violence.

We both spend part of our professional lives teaching other physicians and public health professionals about gun violence. One of our goals is to help doctors move beyond statistics and individual stories and toward a deeper understanding of the issues. Given that gun violence is the second leading cause of death of children and adolescents in the United States, accounting for 15% of all child deaths nationwide,1 pediatricians must join the public debate. Here, we discuss 3 concepts that help explain why we have the highest levels of gun violence among high-income countries2 and how we might begin fixing the problem. These 3 concepts can make pediatricians wanting to reduce gun violence more informed, effective advocates...

Language: en