By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    headphones can create health problems
    The Harmful Health Effects of Using Headphones
    September 24, 2021
    Headache causes
    4 Causes Of Headache You Probably Didn’t Know About
    December 28, 2021
    follow these steps to recover from your injury
    What Steps Should You Take to Recover More Quickly from an Injury?
    April 12, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Cash Transfers: Good for HIV/AIDS Too
    August 9, 2012
    unnecessary medical tests
    Eagerly Awaiting the Death of Defensive Medicine
    September 5, 2013
    Image
    Mobile Health Around the Globe – mHealth Fighting Malnutrition in India
    December 17, 2012
    Latest News
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Gun Control is a Public Health Issue
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > Gun Control is a Public Health Issue
Public Health

Gun Control is a Public Health Issue

Liz Seegert
Liz Seegert
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

Like everyone else, I was horrified when I first heard the news about the rampage in Aurora, CO. My heart goes out to the families of those that we’re murdered and injured. Life will never be the same for the survivors, nor for so many others as they go about their daily activities.

Like everyone else, I was horrified when I first heard the news about the rampage in Aurora, CO. My heart goes out to the families of those that we’re murdered and injured. Life will never be the same for the survivors, nor for so many others as they go about their daily activities.

Movies, shopping centers, college campuses, high school cafeterias – each now symbolize much more than just a place. The psychological toll on the American psyche is readily apparent. Aurora. Tucson. Virginia Tech. Columbine. Just name the location – we can all put it in tragic context.

This is a blog about healthcare and policy issues and how they affect the average person. So why am I writing about mass killings?

More Read

An Indian Hospital on the Fast Track
Get Rewarding Results From Physical Therapy And Chiropractic Care
Cultivating Health Improvement
Why are People Reluctant to Claim Compensation for Accidents?
Mobilizing Stakeholders For Better Health, Better Care And Lower Costs

Because lax gun laws are a public health menace. Because it’s all too easy to legally purchase an assault rifle with few safeguards in place to ensure that the public is not endangered by a psychologically unbalanced shooter who thinks the whole world is out to get him, or wronged him somehow (note that the shooters in all of these incidents were teen or young adult males).

This has nothing to do with the ability to go deer hunting in the fall, or for a shop owner to keep a handgun on the premises for protection. The majority of legal gun owners are properly trained, vetted, and licensed. However those that advocate putting assault weapons in the same category as a pistol or rifle are part of the public health problem.

Post-traumatic stress  is only one piece of it. The idea that anyone feels he/she even needs an assault rifle should raise an immediate red flag for any gun shop owner or dealer. As should multiple gun purchases within a short time frame.

Is there any purpose, aside from mass murder, that such a weapon is used for? Certainly not for shooting clay pigeons. If there is nothing to hide, no ulterior motive, then no one should object to a waiting period which allows for proper criminal and psychological evaluations. It only ensures the public’s health and safety.

Homicides take the lives of 18,000 people each year. While mass killings are rare, the repeated media coverage almost ensures that they remain part of the American psyche forever. Professor of criminology and law James Allen Fox of Northeastern University wrote an extensive opinion piece on CNN.com, contending that tighter controls won’t really help

Mass killers are determined, deliberate and dead-set on murder. They plan methodically to execute their victims, finding the means no matter what laws or other impediments the state attempts to place in their way. To them, the will to kill cannot be denied.

Perhaps. But on the other hand, tighter controls on purchases of weapons of mass murder just might make a difference – even if it’s small. Maybe it would stop even one unstable person from acting out his rage. Maybe it would save the life of a child. Or a grandmother. Maybe it would allow someone who desperately needs metal health care to get it instead of committing suicide or spending a lifetime in jail.

Ask the people in Aurora, or Tucson, or Blacksburg, or Columbine if adding additional deterrents are worth the perceived inconveniences. Unfortunately politics always seems to get in the way of common sense.

There is no way to ever make sense of random, violent acts like these. But it’s time something different is attempted, because the system currently in place clearly is badly broken. I like what New York Times columnist  Nicholas Kristof posted today on Facebook:

If it’s politically impossible to curb even assault rifles, then maybe at least we can adopt a public health approach to guns, to minimize the harm. That could include limiting gun purchases to 1/month, making serial numbers harder to erase, banning oversize magazines, more thorough safety checks, a mechanism to show whether bullet is in chamber, etc. This public safety approach has been very successful in reducing both auto fatalities and drunken driving deaths. Isn’t it worth trying with guns as well?

 

TAGGED:gun control
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

9 Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Add Years to Your Life
9 Healthcare Lifestyle Tweaks That can Add Years to Your Life
lifestyle
July 11, 2025
car accident lawsuit
Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
Policy & Law
July 6, 2025
women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025

You Might also Like

FitnessHealth carePublic Health

Learn About Anxious Eating And How To Stop It In 5 Steps

April 28, 2020

Smoking and Sudden Cardiac Death: The Time to Quit is NOW!

October 31, 2012
health plans
BusinessFinanceHealth ReformPolicy & LawPublic Health

Do Health Plans Have a Future?

February 3, 2015
Image
Public Health

CDC Reports: 90% of ADULTS Have Difficulty Following Routine Medical Advice

October 5, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?