Almost exactly one year ago, the National Rifle Association tweeted that “self-important anti-gun doctors [should] stay in their lane.” Thousands of physicians and other healthcare professionals responded with graphic pictures and stories that underscored why the prevention and treatment of firearm injury is very much “in our lane.” In the week after the tweet, the hashtag #ThisIsOurLane went viral, an open letter in response to the NRA from physicians and their colleagues with The American Foundation for Firearm Injury Reduction in Medicine (AFFIRM Research) garnered over 40,000 signatures, and physician leaders of the movement — including the two of us — found themselves with an unexpected platform to advocate for change. Since the explosion of this hashtag, our work to reframe the debate about firearm injury prevention has accelerated. But there is still far to go.
How Doctors Can Help Prevent Gun Violence
Since 1996, when the now-infamous “Dickey Amendment” prohibited the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using funds “to advocate or promote gun control,” total federal funding for firearm injury prevention research has been almost nil. Meanwhile, the rate of firearm injuries and deaths began to increase. In the absence of federal support for research, Physicians and health care provider organizations have a key role to play in reduce gun injuries including partnering with experts to learn best practices in firearms injury prevention; continuing to pressure the federal government to provide funding; continuing to work closely with affected communities to staunch the frequency of and impact of shooting; and working with electronic health record companies, the technology and insurance industries, and the larger business community to collect and analyze data.