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Curbing Firearm Violence

IN RESPONSE: Dr. Sklaroff politicizes the view expressed in my editorial, framing it as a gun control position rather than a recognition of the medical profession's responsibility to address issues that affect public health and the potential for injury or death to each clinician's patients and family members. There is absolutely no intent for physicians to be deputized to report gun ownership to local, state, or federal governments, and it is unfortunate that gun rights advocates, such as Dr. Sklaroff, take this unfounded position. There is also no proposal to impose mandated questioning on physicians but rather a recognition that such questioning is permitted when a patient or others in the household may be at risk for injury or death. The joint statement by major medical organizations, the American Public Health Association, and the American Bar Association emphasizes the importance of physicians counseling patients about firearms and is a recognition of the commitment of these major professional communities to curb firearm violence (1). Doing so is a professional responsibility that goes above and beyond the polarized political positions that have unfortunately become the societal norm in the United States.