Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
NRA Tweet Opens Floodgate Of Doctors Sharing First-Hand Experience With Gun Violence
The Wall Street Journal: After NRA Rebuke, Many Doctors Speak Louder On Gun Violence
U.S. doctors and medical societies are increasingly speaking out against firearm violence, calling for gun-control measures and other solutions to what they see as a public-health crisis that shows no signs of ebbing. Their outspokenness picked up in recent days, after the National Rifle Association said in a tweet on Nov. 7: “Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane.” The NRA, which has fought efforts to restrict access to guns, was criticizing an updated position paper that the American College of Physicians had published calling for various ways to keep guns out of the hands of people who are a threat to others or to themselves. (Loftus, 11/13)
The New York Times: Doctors Revolt After N.R.A. Tells Them To ‘Stay In Their Lane’ On Gun Policy
Over 25 years in Bronx hospitals, Dr. Marianne Haughey has lost count of how many people she has seen die from gun violence. It doesn’t stop — a child who found a gun at home, a teenager caught in the middle of a gang shooting, a store owner ambushed at work. The toughest part comes afterward, Dr. Haughey said. She sheds her blood-soaked scrubs, makes a mental note of the victim’s name and goes to tell the family. (Haag, 11/13)
The Washington Post: Shot In The Neck At 17, This Is The Trauma Surgeon Now Leading Doctors Against Gun Violence And The NRA
Joseph Sakran was standing on a playground when the bullet pierced his throat. It was a Friday night in 1994 in Fairfax, Va., and Sakran was 17. The high school senior had started the night at a school football game and ended it nearly bleeding to death in the emergency room. The errant gunshot, fired into the crowd amid a fight between other teenagers, ruptured Sakran’s trachea, severed his carotid artery and paralyzed his vocal chord. (Flynn, 11/14)
In other news —
The New York Times: Return To Campus For Students Who Survived Thousand Oaks Shooting
It was college night when a gunman entered Borderline Bar & Grill late last Wednesday, the dance floor packed with students trying to let off some steam, drink a little beer and line dance to the country music blaring in the background. It was the type of night that would be familiar to college students anywhere. (Medina, 11/13)
Los Angeles Times: After A Gunman Opened Fire In Their Favorite Bar, These Survivors Have Banded Together Like Family
The first few nights after Katie Wilkie bolted out of Borderline Bar and Grill to the sounds of gunfire and shattering glass, she couldn’t bring herself to go home. She slept on her friend’s bunk bed and borrowed an old T-shirt and shorts to wear. She found herself clinging to her Borderline friends who were now fellow survivors. (Bermudez, 11/14)
NPR: Guns And Dementia: A Growing Worry For Families As Americans Age
Families of people with dementia will often take away the car keys to keep their family member safe. They might remove knobs from stove burners or lock up medicine. But what's less talked about is the risk of guns in the home for those with dementia. (Block, 11/13)
