Jan. 22, 2013 - The SVS Board of Directors has voted to endorse the ACS statement on firearm injury.
The following is a statement approved Jan. 13, 2013 by the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons. The SVS was one of 51 societies to endorse the statement.
[ST-12] Statement on Firearm Injuries
[By the American College of Surgeons]
Because violence inflicted by guns continues to be a daily event in the United States and mass casualties involving firearms threaten the health and safety of the public, the American College of Surgeons supports:
1. Legislation banning civilian access to assault weapons, large ammunition clips, and munitions designed for military and law enforcement agencies.
2. Enhancing mandatory background checks for the purchase of firearms to include gun shows and auctions.
3. Assuring that healthcare professionals can fulfill their role in preventing firearm injuries by health screening, patient counseling, and referral to mental health services for those with behavioral medical conditions.
4. Developing and promoting proactive programs directed at improving safe gun storage and the teaching of non-violent conflict resolution for a culture that often glorifies guns and violence in media and gaming.
5. Evidence-based research on firearm injury and the creation of a national firearm injury database to inform federal health policy.
Letter to President Obama from ACS Jan. 14, 2013