Barbara Belk, Ph.D. SHRM-SCP’s Post

In the aftermath of the U.S. Surgeon General declaring gun violence “an urgent public health issue” and the Supreme Court's notable 8-1 ruling in U.S. vs Rahimi, Bill Frist, M.D., has written an insightful article for Forbes discussing new policy tools to address the gun violence epidemic. Read the full article below.

I agree with Dr. Murthy. It’s past time to put this issue in the public healthcare realm and out of the political realm. The majority of Americans want gun violence to be reduced and that means reducing gun access. “The U.S. surgeon general on Tuesday declared gun violence a public health crisis, driven by the fast-growing number of injuries and deaths involving firearms in the country. The advisory issued by Dr. Vivek Murthy, the nation's top doctor, came as the U.S. grappled with another summer weekend marked by mass shootings that left dozens of people dead or wounded. To drive down gun deaths, Murthy calls on the U.S. to ban automatic rifles, introduce universal background checks for purchasing guns, regulate the industry, pass laws that would restrict their use in public spaces and penalize people who fail to safely store their weapons. None of those suggestions can be implemented nationwide without legislation passed by Congress, which typically recoils at gun control measures. Some state legislatures, however, have enacted or may consider some of the surgeon general's proposals. "It is now time for us to take this issue out of the realm of politics and put it in the realm of public health, the way we did with smoking more than a half century ago," Murthy told the AP.” #healthcare #gunsecurity #gunaccess #gunregistration #gunregulation #commonsense #guncontrol

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declares gun violence a public health crisis, calling for urgent action to address the growing number of firearm-related injuries and deaths. With over 48,000 Americans lost to gun injuries in 2022, Murthy urges policy makers to work towards comprehensive gun reforms including assault weapon bans and universal background checks.   CDC reports reveal gun injury rates remain elevated for the fourth consecutive year, while FBI data reveals an 89% increase in active shooter incidents from 2019 to 2023. Dr. Murthy's warning offers a response to into years of work by public health policy experts and gun violence advocates alike for the gun violence epidemic in America to receive this classification. Gun violence is a public health crisis and it is essential that it receives the time and resources needed to curb it. Via CBS News https://lnkd.in/eeH_rPKn

The Surgeon General has declared gun violence a public health crisis. Read more about his reasoning and the potential impact such a declaration might have on policy change. Then, follow Life Sciences to End Gun Violence Epidemic to learn about ways #lifescience companies and leaders can help.

Law enforcement is only one part of policing Policing is only one part of public safety Public Safety is only one part of public health

In my latest op-ed in Forbes - The decision in U.S. v. Rahimi and the Surgeon General's Advisory on firearm violence in America make clear we have the tools to address our firearm injury epidemic. https://lnkd.in/e_PC2qwC Voices for a Safer Tennessee #firearmsafety #surgeongeneralsadvisory

While mass shootings account for a relatively small percentage of overall gun violence in America, they dominate media coverage of gun violence, according to a new report released by the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI) and the Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (QSIDE). The report, “News Media Coverage of Gun Violence: A Systematic Review,” documents the findings of a systematic analysis of peer-reviewed academic research—published since the year 2000—that focused on media representations of gun violence in the United States. The findings point to several factors associated with increased media coverage of gun violence, including when women and/or children are involved; when the shooting takes place in a school, religious site, or government building; and when the perpetrator is young, ideologically driven, or shows signs of severe mental illness. The analysis also found that race plays a significant role in how the media depicts gun violence, largely failing to portray perpetrators and victims of color with the same humanity that is afforded to white perpetrators and victims.

Recognizing the urgent need to address the high prevalence of firearm-related suicides in the United States, APA’s governing Council of Representatives approved, by a vote of 157-6, a resolution aimed at promoting secure firearms storage practices. This resolution underscores the critical role psychologists and health care providers can have in preventing suicides by advocating for secure firearm storage and safety strategies. https://lnkd.in/gwqxAVEC #WiPsych • WiPsychAssoc • @WisconsinPsych1 • wipsychology.org

Though this won't, in and of itself, immediately reduce gun violence, applying public health interventions can add a different lens to the historic paralysis between the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution and laws commonly referred to as "gun control." This article calls out that gun deaths are a uniquely American Phenomenon, with a death rate 11.4 times that of the other OECD countries. This article points out that more than half of all gun deaths are from suicide, with 40% from homicide. It particularly affects the young, with children under 14 in the US accounting for 90% of gun-related deaths across the OECD comparison countries. This is and has been a public health crisis of our unique Republic. Though this issue has been highly politicized, reducing harm from firearms, especially for our children, should be something all Americans can come together and find the will to keep our children safe.

Gun violence is a pervasive public health epidemic, and suicide makes up the majority of gun deaths in the U.S. The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions' evidence-based solutions to help #EndGunViolence include Firearm Purchaser Licensing, ERPOs, safe & secure gun storage, regulating public carry, and community violence interventions. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ez5tysZQ #GunViolenceAwarenessDay