Dr. Coppola is chair of the ACEP Leadership Development Advisory Committee and Compensation Committee; past ACEP Council Speaker; brigadier general, commanding, Texas Medical Brigade/Medical Component Command of the Texas State Guard, Texas Military Department. Disclosure: He chaired the task force that created ACEP’s current firearms policy in 2013.
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ACEP Now: Vol 38 – No 05 – May 2019Pages: 1 2 | Single Page
8 Responses to “Opinion: ACEP Should Avoid the Firearms Debate”
May 19, 2019
David McClellanVery well said Dr Coppola. I especially commend your comments about research differing from advocacy and ACEP risking alienating a sizable portion of its membership with the way this is being done. Giving $20K to a markedly biased organization with an advocacy agenda of my dues dollars smacks of big union politics. Stick with the mission, ACEP!
May 20, 2019
Clifford CloonanI have been an ACEP member since 1988. I have never been a member of the AMA because that organization has been politicized for many, many years. If ACEP goes in the same direction as the AMA I will leave ACEP – I almost did this year. Gun control is a political, not a medical issue.
Clifford Cloonan
May 26, 2019
Cody WardYes! Well written. ACEP should stay away from taking a political stance on anything not specific to the practice of medicine.
May 26, 2019
Mike HaleyI couldn’t agree more !!!!
ACEP should concentrate on practice issues!!!!
When you go Political Agenda you alienate 40-50% of your members! Your friends may be all of one party but you have confirmational bias!!!
Michael Haley MD FACEP
Member since 1984
May 28, 2019
BrentWhere are your citations for this “multitude of peer-reviewed articles and data analyses outside the medical literature that prove that gun control efforts are not effective in reducing crime and injury”? I’m not very familiar with this literature but thought country-level data suggested otherwise?
May 29, 2019
W. Kan, MDFinally, prioritizing factual analysis over political advocacy. Thank you, Dr.Coppola.
May 30, 2019
Gregory LewisYou are saying that ACEP should not express an opinion on a public health issue? Because there is a political overlay on that issue? Should we take the same approach to vaccination, helmet use, seatbelts etc… In reality, the exact opposite approach should be taken. We should take the politics out of what should be simply a public health policy debate.
Then you refer people to a blatantly political site for information? The Crime Prevention Research Center was founded in 2013 by John Lott, author of the book “More Guns, Less Crime.” It has a very clear agenda and is very politically motivated. Do a quick search for John Lott and you will find that he regularly distorts data and research to support his agenda. He is also very likely funded by the gun industry.
June 1, 2019
Randy CordleI applaud Dr. Coppola for having the courage write this article in these politically charged times where the facts rarely get in the way of nonsensical opinion and policy. He is absolutely correct on each point. I have already left one similar organization over this issue where their political agenda meant more to them than the data. ACEP, a trade organization, should focus on supporting the practice of Emergency Medicine and improving the conditions under which it’s members work. I will leave it at that for brevity.