Protecting our communities against gun violence is not a threat to Second Amendment rights

Among the rhetorical weapons used to oppose gun safety proposals is that they are part of an anti-libertarian plot to erode the constitutional rights of citizens to bear arms. It’s a hollow argument used by those trying to politicize the deadly nature of gun violence.

This is not a Second Amendment issue – it’s a public health crisis. Following a record 43,543 gun-related deaths in the U.S. last year and the hideous recent mass shootings in Boulder, Atlanta and last Thursday in South Carolina and Texas, it’s clear that gun violence has become an epidemic.

Too many lives have been lost. Too many families disrupted and grieving. We know we can do better, which is why health care providers, community organizations and other like-minded entities are taking action to help stop the needless bloodshed.

While the erroneous bickering from one side of the aisle is sure to persist, we are beginning to see significant progress in finding solutions to stem the violence without violating constitutional rights. The executive actions last week by the Biden administration represent an important first step to combat the problem. Among other actions, the president directed the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to stop the spread of so-called “ghost guns” that can be purchased as kits without background checks and assembled from components with no serial numbers. He also directed the DOJ to publish model red flag legislation that would enable law enforcement officers or family members to ask a court to temporarily bar someone from accessing guns under certain circumstances.

On the health care front, we announced last week that more than 300 executives, clinical leaders, researchers and other health care workers from hospitals and health systems across the country have joined Northwell Health’s Gun Violence Prevention Learning Collaborative. We now have some of the nation’s top health care organizations – including CommonSpirit Health, the University of Chicago Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Medical Center – collaborating on solutions to prevent firearm injuries and deaths. We hope to work in tandem with an executive branch that recognizes the severity of the crisis.

That’s a breath of fresh air for the millions of families who have fallen victim to these crimes – true examples of how the narrative is beginning to shift to finally treating gun violence as the public health emergency it is. These advancements will hopefully start to reverse the ongoing desensitization of gun deaths within society. For too long, we’ve been numb to the loss of life from mass shootings, as well as the tens of thousands of lives lost every year from gun-related murders, suicides and accidental shootings.

Yet, while progress is happening, this is only the first mile marker on an interstate. Mere hours before President Biden announced the executive actions, another mass shooting in South Carolina killed five innocent people, including a prominent doctor and two children. The same day, just hours after the announcement, an employee for a cabinet manufacturer in Texas opened fire on his colleagues, killing one and wounding at least five others, four of whom are in critical condition. To date this year, there have been 133 mass shootings (defined as four or more people shot and/or killed in a single event) and 11,552 gun-related deaths, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

As gun violence continues to surge through the country, it should be apparent to even those arguing for gun rights and freedoms that we have a very serious problem. Previously, these events have consistently faded from the public consciousness within days or weeks after they occur. Let’s hope they won’t this time, not when our health leaders and president are aligning their expertise and influence.

In health care, we are constantly reminded of the bloodshed, treating the trauma when victims are rushed to our emergency departments. Our EMS personnel transport the wounded and our doctors and nurses personally deal with the carnage. We see the devastation firsthand and communicate directly with families, who are forced to pick up the pieces.

As evidenced last week, that’s no longer good enough. Our mission is clear: Find sensible solutions to help prevent unnecessary bloodshed. Taking action is health care’s pedigree. And our new Learning Collaborative will provide an interactive and apolitical forum to keep these important discussions going.

While we continue to support Second Amendment rights, we remain committed to nonpartisan research to advance sound policy that seeks to preserve life against senseless attacks by studying the benefits and costs of a wide variety of initiatives. Let’s hope last week’s developments serve as a springboard to achieving meaningful reforms.