Today we find ourselves more divided than ever. We are wounded and bleeding profusely.
The Medical Society of Delaware will not be complacent regarding the issue of guns and gun violence. We must be united in the cause for a peaceful and law-abiding society. We cannot be satisfied with statements while fellow physicians and children are dying. We must demand action and continue to work with legislators to effect change. We must not forget those who have died in violent assaults by guns and those that have wielded them. We must be strong together and we will not give up the fight.
Columbine, Sandy Hook, Las Vegas, Laguna Woods, Tulsa, Buffalo, Uvalde, Vestavia Hills, and most recently Highland Park, Illinois to name just a few locales devastated by gun violence. Small and large cities and towns. Supermarkets, schools, mosques, synagogues and more. It’s devastating that we could list so many more cities, towns, and communities torn apart by gun violence.
In recent times, we have seen innocent children massacred and physicians killed. Kids just being kids…going to school, about to enjoy summer vacation and being with family and friends. Physicians being empathic and kind and caring for their patients. But for many, their lives will not ever be the same. Those that have experienced such violence or know someone who has are changed forever. Even years later, trauma from experiences of gun violence can cause physical and mental sequelae, heightened in children.
We must respond to this chaos in an active and cohesive way so we can go about our lives without fear and frustration. Now is the time to speak out and act! In many ways we are already numb and move on as if nothing has happened to our fellow citizens, neighbors, and friends. But to do nothing is to go backward. We must move ahead with conviction and a spirited desire for change!
MSD has a plan. We will work with legislators who are committed to the common goal of gun safety wherever we may work, live, or play. We will coordinate this effort with those working in trauma in our state to solidify the goal. We are buoyed by the passage of a series of bills just days ago by the Delaware legislature. The package includes strengthening background checks, banning the sale of assault weapons and limiting high-capacity magazines. This is in addition to the red flag laws and ghost gun legislation previously signed. The recent bipartisan gun reform bill signed by President Biden is also a step in the right direction. We will continue to be vigilant and proactive, supporting further legislative efforts at controlling this plague of violence. Let none of us be a statistic!
The Medical Society of Delaware stands in solidarity with patients, physicians, and our communities calling on our state and our country to address this public health threat immediately and in the months and years to come. We stand together for patient safety and a world in which we can all live unafraid.
