Comment from Dr. Megan Raney, Dean of Public Health at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island:
I’m an emergency room doctor. I can tell you firsthand that the damage from an AR-15 bullet is almost indescribable.
Creates gaping holes. It liquefies the organs. He rarely survived.
Dr. Megan Raney. CBS News
But as shocking and horrifying as any mass shooting is, what I see in the emergency room day in and day out are mostly gunshot injuries. And those are terrible too. Suicides … domestic violence … community violence … and more.
Regardless of the weapon used, the way a bullet tears apart a body is similar to the way gun violence tears apart a community. Each bullet leaves a ripple effect not only on the victim, but also on their parents, their children, their siblings and their friends.
Talking to each of them is also part of my job and it’s heartbreaking.
We need to start treating gun violence the same way we treat other public health crises—drunk driving, heart disease, even COVID. We can prevent gun violence before it brings people to my emergency room.
So, for all of you who are losing hope, here are three actions we can all take today:
First, if you have a firearm in your home (that’s more than 40% of us in America), make sure it’s stored safely—locked and ideally unloaded.
Second, know the danger signs: depression, dementia, domestic violence, substance use, and, yes, hate.
Finally, if someone you know is showing these signs of danger, do everything you can to put time and distance between them and the gun while they are at risk of harming themselves or others.
I’m tired of caring for the victims and their families. But I keep my faith.
It’s not easy, but we can do it. It just takes ALL of us.
For more information:
The story produced by Sarah Kugel. Editor: Chad Cardin.
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