Waltham, Massachusetts – The following is a statement from Henry L. Dorkin, MD, FAAP, President of the Massachusetts Medical Society:
“The Massachusetts Medical Society thanks Senator Edward Markey for his leadership on the Making America Safe and Secure Act of 2018, which would help states implement firearm licensing and background checks. In Massachusetts, our robust laws regarding firearm ownership have helped give the
Commonwealth the lowest
firearm death rate in the nation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It has long been MMS policy to support a strong licensing and background check system. Physicians are on the front lines of the ongoing public health crisis related to gun violence – doctors treat the victims of gun violence, care for their survivors, counsel them through their recovery, screen
patients for risk factors, and even talk to patients about how to improve their safety.
“All doctors know that it’s not enough for our patients to be healthy – we also want them to be safe. That’s why we support common-sense approaches – like Senator Markey’s bill – to keep firearms out of the hands of those who might do our patients harm.
“We also support Senator Markey’s bill that would allow federal research into the issue of firearm violence. We need to study this public health crisis as we do any other such epidemic in order to develop evidence-based approaches to reduce risk and save lives.”
The MMS has a variety of resources available to help doctors talk to their patients about firearm safety. You can
access those materials here.
