In 1996, after the then-largest mass shooting in the world at Port Arthur in Tasmania, the Australian government, to its credit, made far-reaching restrictions and controls on the sale and possession of guns. They also entered into a large buyback scheme which led to a huge reduction in the number of firearms in our community.
We are indeed the lucky country in relation to guns.
Following yet another mass shooting in the US, the American College of Physicians outlined their public health approach to reducing deaths and injuries from firearms. That was attacked by the NRA, the National Rifle Association.
Doctors in the US are the ones who have to deal with the consequences of their gun laws, which were never meant for the individual ownership of guns.
The history of the Second Amendment is one of corporate and political hysteria, preventing any rational debate on the issue of gun control. Forensic pathologist Judy Melinek says,
We are the ones who have to deal with the consequences. We are the ones who have to talk to the family members. Breaks my heart, and it is just another day in America.
For more information, read this NPR article. Tune in next week for Greg Martin’s blog post on the Second Amendment and how operations in the gun lobby have imposed a tragedy on the American people, leading to more than 30,000 gun deaths per year.