Firearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States
Authors: Steven E. Weinberger
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Letters18 August 2015Firearm-Related Injury and Death in the United StatesSteven E. Weinberger, MDSteven E. Weinberger, MDFrom American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5124-4 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:Dr. Lewiecki sensibly recommends a waiting period after a gun purchase to mitigate the risk for an impulsive suicide with a firearm, particularly a handgun. We based our recommendations on preexisting policies of the organizations represented by our article's coauthors. Because these organizations' policies generally have not addressed a waiting period, we did not include this issue in our article. However, the American College of Physicians' previous position paper on firearm-related injury and death does note that “waiting periods may reduce the incidence of death by suicide, which accounts for nearly two thirds of firearm deaths” (1). As ...References1. Butkus R, Doherty R, Daniel H; Health and Public Policy Committee of the American College of Physicians. Reducing firearm-related injuries and deaths in the United States: executive summary of a policy position paper from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2014;160:858-60. [PMID: 24722815] doi:10.7326/M14-0216 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Frankel TC. Why the CDC still isn't researching gun violence, despite the ban being lifted two years ago. The Washington Post. 14 January 2015. Accessed at www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2015/01/14/why-the-cdc-still-isnt-researching-gun-violence-despite-the-ban-being-lifted-two-years-ago on 23 May 2015. Google Scholar3. Wellford CF, Pepper JV, Petrie CV, eds. Committee on Law and Justice. National Research Council. Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review. Washington, DC: National Academies Pr; 2004. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Steven E. Weinberger, MDAffiliations: From American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M15-0337. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoFirearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States: A Call to Action From 8 Health Professional Organizations and the American Bar Association Steven E. Weinberger , David B. Hoyt , Hal C. Lawrence III , Saul Levin , Douglas E. Henley , Errol R. Alden , Dean Wilkerson , Georges C. Benjamin , and William C. Hubbard Firearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States Steven E. Weinberger , David B. Hoyt , Hal C. Lawrence III , Saul Levin , Douglas E. Henley , Errol R. Alden , Dean Wilkerson , Georges C. Benjamin , and William C. Hubbard Firearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States E. Michael Lewiecki Firearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States Duane White Metrics Cited byTaking Care of the Poor: Medicaid 18 August 2015Volume 163, Issue 4Page: 324-325KeywordsDisclosureFirearm injuriesPrevention, policy, and public healthSuicideTaxesViolent crime ePublished: 18 August 2015 Issue Published: 18 August 2015 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2015 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...