AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, issued the following statement in response to recent mass shootings in Texas, New York, and California:
“The tragic murders throughout our nation at the hands of gun violence over the last several days are heartbreaking. We stand with the families and loved ones of the victims in Uvalde who are grieving in pain today, as well as those who were affected by the recent racially motivated shooting in Buffalo and the recent shooting in Southern California. We express our profound sympathies for the senseless loss of lives.
These assaults once again vividly illustrate the all-too-familiar consequences of how gun violence continues to plague the nation. They are also a reminder of how homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries with firearms take an overwhelming daily toll on our communities. These preventable tragedies will continue to be inevitable as long as lawmakers continue to choose inaction over reasonable protections to keep our children and our communities safe.
We once again call on Congress to work in a bipartisan manner to take decisive action on commonsense policies and reforms, such as background checks, investments in hospital-based and other community violence interventions, and other tools that so many Americans support.
Gun violence is not political. It is a public health crisis that must be addressed. How much more can our nation endure?”