Physicians for Social Responsibility
Sacramento Chapter

Gun Violence Prevention

Once again, another shooting tragedy has occured and our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and loved ones. But in addition to mourning the most recent casualities, we must take steps to address this epidemic of gun violence.

Please read an article about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting written by Dr. Bill Durston, Vice-President of PSR/Sacramento. An edited version of this article is in the December 20, 2012 edition of Sacramento News and Review.

Gun violence is at epidemic levels in our state and our country. Every year, approximately 30,000 U.S. civilians, including about 3,000 Californians, are killed by firearms. The rate of firearm-related deaths for children ages 15 and under is almost 12 times higher in the U.S. than the rate in the other leading 25 industrialized countries of the world. Handguns, in particular, account for about 80% of all firearm-related deaths, but only a third to one half of all firearms owned.

While many people keep guns in their home for "protection," there is overwhelming evidence that guns in the home are much more likely to be used to kill, injure, or intimidate a household member than to protect against an intruder. In one study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, it was shown that for every one time a gun in the home was used to kill an attacker, there were 43 gun-related suicides, homicides, or accidental deaths of household members.

PSR/Sacramento works to reduce gun violence by educating policy makers and the general public concerning the risks of guns in our communities and in our homes, and by supporting sensible firearm regulations.

Please read the 2000 and 2012 Policy Statements of the Committee on Injury and Poison Prevention of the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding "Firearm-Related Injuries Affecting the Pediatric Population."

PSR/Sacramento endorses the public service announcement concerning guns in the home which has been produced by the California chapters of the Consumer Federation of America and the American College of Emergency Physicians.This PSA recommends that it is safest not to keep a gun in one's home, and that if one does have a gun, it should be stored unloaded, securely locked, with the ammunition stored separately. Click on these underlined links to listen to the "Guns in the Home" PSA in English or in Spanish. The PSA's can also be downloaded in MP3 format by "right-clicking" on the underlined links. PSR/Sacramento and the California Chapters of the Consumer Federation of America and the American College of Emergency Physicians urge radio stations to play these PSA's..