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![]() ![]() O Appropriate funding for mental health services. O Constitutionally-appropriate restrictions on the manufacture and sale, for civilian use, of large-capacity magazines and firearms and O Strict enforcement of current gun laws O Funding research to identify effective measures to increase the safety of firearms These conversations should specifically address: Communicate with your local, state, and federal officials about gun violence as a public health concern.Participate in programs that address violence in your community.Know the rates of gun violence in your area to better understand the impact on your community ( ) 6.O The presence of guns in the home increases the risk that a woman will die due to an IPV-related homicide eight-fold. The AAFP recommends that clinicians screen women of childbearing age for intimate partner violence (IPV), such as domestic violence, and provide or refer women who screen positive to intervention services ( ).Patients with depression should be treated with antidepressant medication and/or psychotherapy. O Patients who screen positive should undergo additional assessment that considers severity of depression and comorbid psychological problems, alternate diagnoses, and medical conditions. The AAFP recommends screening for depression in the general adult population, including pregnant and postpartum women ( ).Encourage participation in gun safety classes. If “yes,” discuss safe storage of firearms and ammunition. Ask patients and their families if there are guns in the home.Know the rates of gun violence in your area to help understand the impact on your patient population ( ).This call to action from physician groups emphasizes the need to treat gun violence as a public health epidemic.įamily physicians can further address gun violence in their practices and communities by following these office- and community-based steps. Establish constitutionally appropriate restrictions on the manufacturing and sale, for civilian use, of large-capacity magazines and firearms with features designed to increase their rapid and extended killing capacity.Fund appropriate research as part of the federal budget.Label violence caused by the use of guns as a national public health epidemic.The American Academy of Family Physicians joined the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Psychiatric Association urging the president and Congress to take the following three concrete steps to address gun violence: 4 The AAFP encourages this public health approach and supports research that identifies which policies and interventions effectively reduce morbidity and mortality, while also respects the Constitutional right to bear arms. This approach focuses on three elements: scientific methodology to identify risk and patterns, preventive measures, and multidisciplinary collaboration. The complexity and frequency of firearm violence, combined with its impact on the health and safety of Americans, suggest that a public health approach should be a key strategy used to prevent future harm and injuries. These physicians, who witness the substantial impact firearm-related violence has on the health of their patients, families, and communities, have the power to help improve the safety and wellbeing of those groups. Family physicians care for victims of gun violence and their families every day. Gun violence affects people of all ages and races. Gun violence should be considered a public health issue, not a political one-an epidemic that needs to be addressed with research and evidence-based strategies that can reduce morbidity and mortality. economy approximately $229 billion annually. In terms of the financial toll, although the estimates vary, it’s generally held that gun violence expenses-medical charges, loss of income, daily care/support, and criminal justice expenditures-cost the U.S. ![]() In addition to the thousands killed or injured, myriad families must also cope with the consequences of this violence. 2 That’s an average of 105 deaths and more than 230 injuries from firearms each day. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 38,000 deaths from firearms (including suicides) occurred in the United States in 2016, 1 and nearly 85,000 injuries from firearms occurred in 2015. Gun violence includes homicide, violent crime, attempted suicide, suicide, and unintentional death and injury. Gun violence is a national public health epidemic that exacts a substantial toll on the U.S.
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