We commit ourselves to shared action to end the epidemic of gun violence

In response to the devastating school shooting in Parkland, Fla., we extend our sincerest condolences to the communities, families, friends, educators, and students affected by this tragedy.

We mourn the loss of 17 students and staff in Parkland, and we commit ourselves to shared action to end the epidemic of gun violence in our country. We call on Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), our local Connecticut (CT) state leaders, and our national leaders to commit to bold action to end mass shootings in this country.

As physicians at YNHH, we have the unfortunate but critical task of caring for victims of gun violence. We see the aftermath of gun violence in our emergency rooms, operating rooms, intensive care units, trauma clinics, children and adult wards, and in autopsy. We care for victims and families in the clinic.

Leading physician groups across the nation have been calling for action. In 2015, physician organizations representing more than 450,000 physicians (AAFP, AAP, ACEP, ACOG, ACP, ACS and APA) called for the following:

⏩ Universal background checks: Including firearm purchases at gun shows.

⏩ Eliminated physician ‘gag laws:’ Such laws impede the physician-patient relationship and physician free speech.

⏩ Mental Health: Supporting minimization of stigma as well as early identification, intervention, and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.

⏩ Common sense reporting laws: Balancing both individual rights to own firearms and public safety.

⏩ Assault weapons: Banning easy access to assault weapons and a largecapacity magazine ban.

⏩ Need for research: Supporting research through the CDC and NIH on the effects of gun violence.

We applaud our local legislators in Connecticut for enacting legislation that has become a national model, where we continue to see correlating reductions in Connecticut gun-violence-related deaths.

We, the undersigned, encourage our legislators and our physician colleagues to continue their support of strong anti-gun violence laws through the following measures:

We call on Congress to: Label the violence caused by the use of a guns a national public health epidemic and lift the ban on gun violence research and fund appropriate research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (repeal the Dickey Amendment). We urge congress to enact legislation to ban the sale of semi-automatic and automatic weapons, to ensure stronger background checks, and to promote safe gun storage.

We call on Yale New Haven Hospital to: Adequately provide for the mental and social health of all victims of violence with funding for a hospitalbased violence prevention program that will work in the hospital and community to heal the multiple wounds caused by gun violence and prevent atrocities before they happen.

We call on all physicians to: Commit to reduce firearm related injuries and deaths and sign this pledge from the American College of Physicians, as public commitments to health behaviors are more likely to be successful.

Sincerely, Yale New Haven Hospital Residents, Fellows, and staff.