Dr. Barsotti is the chair-elect of the ACEP Trauma & Injury Prevention Section.
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4 Responses to “Opinion: Firearm Injury Prevention Is More Than Pro/Con Debate”
October 22, 2016
Timothy Wheeler, MD“Portraying firearm injury prevention as being in opposition to Constitutional law expresses a fear of science and the knowledge it may provide.”
Fear of science? Really?
The above statement trivializes the truth of the matter, which is abundantly documented–for over two decades organized medicine, starting with the CDC, has waged a very public war on the American civil right of gun ownership. Anyone who seriously contests this is willfully ignoring the historical facts.
Drs. Ranney and Barsotti can read them as easily as anyone else at our website drgo.us .
Timothy Wheeler, MD
Director
Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership
A Project of the Second Amendment Foundation
October 22, 2016
Dr. Michael S. BrownBy focusing on access to firearms and ignoring access to other mechanisms like flammable liquids and motor vehicles, the authors betray a bias that makes their opinions virtually useless. They are blaming inanimate objects rather than a mental health pathology for bad outcomes. Thinking of this kind is not going to produce better results.
November 6, 2016
Megan RanneyDr. Brown & Dr. Wheeler, thank you for your comments. Dr. Barsotti & I did not ignore access to other mechanisms. We mention in our article that strong and active injury prevention activities have effectively reduced deaths due to other mechanisms.
We urge the use of science to reduce firearm deaths, as well. Firearm injury prevention is NOT the equivalent of being “against guns.” It is being FOR common-sense solutions to reduce firearm injury. These include attention to mental illness; and also include investigating other promising avenues, such as lethal means counseling (for patients who are suicidal) and safety locks (for parents).
We explicitly mention that we don’t know, yet, with certainty, what works. We DO know that airbags, seatbelts, and drunk driving laws work for MVCs – thanks to decades of funding for good science. We need funding for science to figure out what will most effectively reduce firearm injuries and deaths, too. We are glad that you both agree that we need to have thoughtful conversations, and rigorous research, on the topic.
November 27, 2018
Charles Nozicka DO,FAAP,FACEPAmongst modern industrialized nations, only in America do we endure this public health epidemic of firearms related tragedies. On both sides of the gun control debate opinions are lobbed as facts. Neither side listening to the other, unvetted “facts” used as ammunition.
I grew up in a house with guns, learning to shoot before I could drive. I spent many summer days with my grandfather, target shooting with pistols and rifles. He was a life member of the NRA, I am not anti-gun I am anti-gun violence and injury.
It is time to research public safety gun safety best practices and develop strategies for curbing the slaughter within the constraints of the Second Amendment. We all want our families to be safe and live in a country where they do not have to fear some crazed shooter with a self-destructive agenda. We all want to minimize avoidable accidental firearm associated injuries.
The automobile industry collaborating with government has utilized safety research to make our roadways safer. Anti lock brakes, seat belts and crumple technology – save lives everyday. Our cars are registered, tracked with vehicle identification (VIN) numbers. Operators are licensed with mandatory periodic training. Those with health issues are denied driving privileges. The firearm industry must collaborate and partner with us to adopt a similar approach. Congress must foster this partnership – not obstruct it by blocking firearm safety research. We lead the world in firearm related homicide and suicides, if we are going to stop this madness, we must separate our leaders from the NRA and make them accountable to the people who elected them.
Charles Nozicka DO
Division Director
Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Advocate Children’s Hospital
Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University
@RocketDoc53