An Old Problem Grows Worse
I got my first lesson in America's gun problem one day during my residency, when a patient walked into the emergency department at Johns Hopkins Hospital, bleeding from a chest wound and waving a .44 magnum revolver. "I want help," he said, and squeezed off a round.
A nurse and I dove under a metal desk. As slugs smashed into the desk and the wall behind it, I asked myself why this was happening. I'm still searching for an answer.
As physicians, we will always have to try to patch up the people who survive gun violence. But as professionals dedicated to preserving life, I believe that we also must speak out for gun control.
In just over 5 months, 101 individuals have died in massacres perpetrated by people with overwhelming firepower in their hands.
On October 1, 2017, a gunman armed with multiple guns including ten AR-15 rifles shot some 1100 rounds into the crowd at a Las Vegas concert, killing 58 people.
On November 5, 2017, a gunman used his Ruger AR-556 to murder 26 people at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
On February 14, 2018, a gunman armed with an AR-15 and multiple magazines
