Firearm injuries should be considered a public health crisis, which in turn should receive public health-tailored solutions, argues public health activist Megan Ranney, MD, in a May 26 Atlantic article.
Dr. Ranney compares car-crash injuries and deaths to firearm deaths, noting that car crash injuries are discussed as public health problems with systems set up to reduce them. Instead of banning cars, public policy has made them safer by educating drivers and developing safer technologies.
"[This example] illustrates this core belief in public health, which is that you can identify risk factors and then empower individuals, as well as change society."
She argues that something similar should happen in the case of guns and that people should move away from taking an all-or-nothing approach to the issue.