U.S. should study gun violence as a public health hazard

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We’ve been taking two ineffective approaches to gun violence.  The first is to debate whether we need more or fewer guns. Fearing criticism for not supporting the Second Amendment, legislators are easily persuaded we need more guns.

The second approach occurs after a mass shooting. A new gun law is proposed. We argue its merits, and then Second Amendment concerns swallow the process, and nothing changes.

We’ve got things backwards. We need to research and understand gun violence. Only then can we ...

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19
NOV
2

Gun Policy

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Join Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly and advocate for common sense

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gabby-2

Interested in making a difference in gun policy? Here’s your opportunity.

Join the Ohio Coalition for Common Sense, a state initiative started by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, a Navy Captain and former astronaut. The Coalition brings together a broad cross-section of state leaders—business, law enforcement, veterans, faith, medical and civic leaders—who support commonsense solutions to reduce gun violence. The Coalition is part of a national organization, ...

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9
APR
2

Gun Policy

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Congress backs down on gun violence studies

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After 23 massacres since 2007, where 202 people were murdered with guns, we still know little about gun violence. Why? Because Congress cowers to the NRA and won’t fund gun violence studies.

The entity best suited for this work, the Centers for Disease Control, is precluded by law from analyzing gun deaths. In a 1996 appropriations bill (at page 245, if you care to check) is a line that reads, “That none of the funds made available for injury prevention and ...

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6
OCT
8

Gun Policy

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Liberal gun laws and unnecessary deaths

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The level of emotion and absence of common sense concerning gun rights reached new heights a few weeks back at the Ohio Statehouse. On May 6, when asked what limits should be imposed on the right to carry a concealed weapon, Rep. Wes Retherford, R-Hamilton, answered, “I’d defend my home with an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) any day of the week if I could, but I’m not allowed.” Rep. John Becker, R-Cincinnati, said that guns are a God-given right. He ...

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20
MAY
1

Gun Policy

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Focus needs to be on reducing gun deaths

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Almost every day we read about gun deaths. What’s behind this problem? The National Rifle Association tells us, “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.”  Let’s go with that. The FBI reports that in 2012, people killed 144 babies, 422 kids age 12 and under, 1327 teenagers, 96 husbands, 498 wives, 140 mothers, 126 fathers, 168 boyfriends, 494 girlfriends, and thousands of others, for a grand total of 12,723 people—with guns.

The numbers will not go down dramatically until we change ...

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21
APR
0

Gun Policy

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The NRA suppresses studies on gun violence

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Ever wonder why we study highway collisions, smoking and HIV/AIDS for the purpose of reducing risk but don’t do the same for gun-related fatalities? It’s because the National Rifle Association purposefully works to suppress such research. The NRA will likely lobby against the $10 million proposed by President Barack Obama in his 2014 budget to study gun violence prevention.

The NRA’s battle against research began when the New England Journal of Medicine published a study in 1993 about guns in the ...

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18
OCT
0

Gun Policy

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Doctors must be able to ask about guns

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On July 30, state Sen. Kris Jordan, R-Dist. 19, introduced Sen. Bill 165, which would prohibit physicians from asking patients questions about whether there are guns in their home. What do guns have to do with a person’s health, and why should physicians care whether their patients have guns?

Pediatricians ask these questions because guns are a leading killer of children. The Children’s Defense Fund reported that in 2008 and 2009, 5740 children and teens, including 299 children under age 10, ...

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18
OCT
0

Gun Policy

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