Gun Violence a Public Health Issue
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Gun control is a major public health issue.WHO has declared it as a global burden. Roughly 16,459 murders were committed in the United States during 2016. Of these, about 11,961 or 73% were committed with firearms. #️⃣Guncontrol #️⃣Guncontrolpublichealth #️⃣Gunviolence #️⃣publichealth
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Gun Violence a Public Health Issue
- 1. GUN CONTROLAS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE NAME: OMOLU CHIDI KELVIN STUDENT NUMBER: 118222096 TOPIC:GUN CONTROL AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE COURSE: EH6025 (Principles and Practice of Public Health) LECTURER: PROF. IVAN PERRY
- 2. GUN CONTROLAS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE Globally it was estimated that 251,000 people died from firearm injuries in 2016 (Brazil, United States Colombia, Venezuela and Guatemala) (4). This presentation will discuss : Gun control as a public health issue Global Burden/ Statistics of Gun violence 2016 Injuries And Disability Caused by Firearm Mortality Rates For Firearm and Motor Vehicle Between 1950-2010 Economic Cost of Gun Violence Evidence of Lack of funding for gun violence Research Evidence that state laws can prevent gun violence Pro-gun organisations/Anti-gun organisations Compare Australian and US Gun Control Laws and Effectiveness of both Recommendation
- 3. GUN CONTROLAS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE The increasing number of gun-related incidents, including mass shootings in schools, justifies the urge for taking preventive measures in order to decrease the number of gun-related injuries and deaths.(10)
- 4. Global Burden/ Statistics of Gun violence 2016 Source: Jamanetwork
- 5. Mortality Rates For Firearm and Motor Vehicle Between 1950-2010
- 7. Economic Cost of Gun Violence
- 8. Injuries And Disability Caused by Firearm Firearm Injuries in the U.S hospital requires an immediate care in a trauma centre(12). The injuries from a firearm can either be intentional gunshots and unintentional gunshots.(12). Disabilities that can result from Firearm injury Amputations to spinal cord injuries. (12).
- 9. Lack of Funding for Gun Violence Research Compared To Other Leading Causes Of Death between 2014-2015 in the US Source: JAMA
- 10. Source: JAMA Internal Medicine STATES WITH STRONGER FIREARM LAWS HAD LOWER RATES OF FIREARM HOMICIDES
- 11. Organisation Against Gun control Laws in the U.S The National Refile Association (NRA) Pro gun organisation (8). Organisation for Gun Control Laws (3). Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (3).
- 12. Compare Australian and USA Gun Control Laws Gun Control Law Australia (1). The regulation of privately held small arms in Australia is ranked as restrictive, rather than permissive.(1) The Australian government united in 1996 to enact law to stop Gun violence They Experienced a decline in gun violence after law was passed. (1).
- 13. Compare USA and Australian Gun control Laws Gun Control Law USA (2). The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This law made guns Permissive compare to Australia were it is Restrictive Despite the implementation of the 1968 gun control and Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (1993): Requires background checks on most firearm purchasers, depending on seller and venue, and so many other gun control laws, it has been difficult to control firearms till date in the U.S this is because of the Landmark Judgement in 2008. (2).
- 14. Comparing the Effectiveness of Gun control in Australia and the USA Gun deaths in 2016 in the US was High compared to that of Australia. (1), (2). This proves that firearm regulation can be very effective when enforced properly. The U.S can also take a cue from Australia, UK where gun control Laws has proven to be very effective.
- 15. RECOMMENDATION (11) Sensible gun laws . Establish a culture of gun safety Recognising gun control as a public health problem . Trauma, connection, and services More support for gun control research.
- 16. RECOMMENDATION CONT’ (11) Economic development Application of Evidenced-based gun laws Tackling Law enforcement violence Background checks before gun purchases are made.
- 17. REFERENCE 1. Alpers P. Guns in Australia — Firearms, gun law and gun control [Internet]. Gunpolicy.org. 2018 [cited 17 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/australia 2. Alpers P. Guns in the United States — Firearms, gun law and gun control [Internet]. Gunpolicy.org. 2018 [cited 17 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-states 3. Important New Study Shows Effectiveness of Brady Background Checks | Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence [Internet]. Bradycampaign.org. 2018 [cited 23 November 2018]. Available from: http://www.bradycampaign.org/press-room/important-new-study-shows-effectiveness-of-brady-background- checks 4. Naghavi M, Marczak LB, Kutz M, Shackelford KA, Arora M, Miller-Petrie M, Aichour MT, Akseer N, Al- Raddadi RM, Alam K, Alghnam SA. Global mortality from firearms, 1990-2016. JAMA. 2018 Aug 28;320(8):792-814. 5. Gun violence costs America $229 billion a year—more than $700 for every man, woman, and child [Internet]. Mother Jones. 2018 [cited 23 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/04/true-cost-of-gun-violence-in-america/
- 18. REFERENCE CONT’D 6. Wintemute GJ. The epidemiology of firearm violence in the twenty-first century United States. Annual Review of Public Health. 2015 Mar 18;36:5-19. 7. Firearm deaths around the world 1990–2016 [Internet]. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. 2018 [cited 23 November 2018]. Available from: http://www.healthdata.org/infographic/firearm-deaths-around-world-1990%E2%80%932016 8. Rushe D. Why is the National Rifle Association so powerful? [Internet]. the Guardian. 2018 [cited 17 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/us- news/2017/nov/17/nra-gun-lobby-gun-control-congress 9. Stark D, Shah N. Funding and Publication of Research on Gun Violence and Other Leading Causes of Death. JAMA. 2017;317(1):84.
- 19. REFERENCE CONT’D 10. Tasigiorgos S, Economopoulos K, Winfield R, Sakran J. Firearm Injury in the United States: An Overview of an Evolving Public Health Problem. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. 2015;221(6):1005-1014. 11. Prevention Institute [Internet]. Preventioninstitute.org. 2018 [cited 17 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.preventioninstitute.org/focus-areas/preventing-violence-and- reducing-injury/preventing-violence-advocacy 12. Kaufman EJ, Morrison CN, Branas CC, Wiebe DJ. State firearm laws and interstate firearm deaths from homicide and suicide in the United States: a cross-sectional analysis of data by county. JAMA internal medicine. 2018 May 1;178(5):692-700.
Editor's Notes
- GUN CONTROL AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE : The increasing number firearm related incidents have lead to gun control being treated as a public health issue.(10). These measures entail the contribution of many disciplines within health care, including physicians, medical organizations, and immediate action from social and political parties. Hence there is a need for Gun control to be treated as a Public Health Problem in other to effectively curb this problem. (10). Furthermore, with the number of deaths related to firearm violence, it ‘s time to have a act to avoid the deir consequences.
- Global Burden/ Statistics of Gun violence 2016 FIREARM-RELATED DEATHS (ALL AGES), BOTH SEXES, 2016 (4). Aggregate firearm-related deaths (homicides, suicides, and accidental injuries combined (4). Brazil: 43,200 deaths United States: 37,200 India: 26,500 Mexico: 15,400 Colombia: 13,300 Venezuela: 12,800 Philippines: 8,020 Guatemala: 5,090 Russia: 4,380 Afghanistan: 4,050. Globally it was estimated that 251,000 people died from firearm injuries in 2016 (Brazil, United States Colombia, Venezuela and Guatemala) they accounted for 50.5% of deaths of those deaths. Globally, the majority of firearm injury deaths in 2016 were homicides 64.0% absolute value, 161 000 deaths similarly, 27% were as a result of firearm suicide deaths 67 500 and lastly 9% were unintentional firearm deaths 23 000. From 1990 to 2016, there was no significant decrease in the estimated global age-standardized firearm homicide rate (−0.2% [95% UI, −0.8% to 0.2%]) (4).
- Mortality Rates For Firearm and Motor Vehicle Between 1950-2010 The mortality rate for gun violence has remained unchanged just from the chart above just before the turn of the twenty-first century (6) Relatively low rates was during the 1950’s and early 1960’s it was ( average of 7.3/100,000 population during 1951-1963. It was further followed by a rapid increase in the 1970’s,In the 1990’s it went very up with more than the figures from previous years,however,there was a rapid decline from 1994-1999. Rates remained unchanged thereafter and above the 1950s–1960s baseline (average 9.9/100,000 population during 1999–2012).However for the motor vehicle traffic events experienced a decline by 59% from 1969 to 2012. (6)
- TOP 20 COUNTRIIES FOR TOTAL FIREARM DEATHS IN 2016 FIREARM-RELATED DEATHS (ALL AGES), BOTH SEXES, 2016 Aggregate firearm-related deaths (homicides, suicides, and accidental injuries combined) (7) 1. Brazil: 43,200 deaths 2. United States: 37,200 3. India: 26,500 4. Mexico: 15,400 5. Colombia: 13,300 6. Venezuela: 12,800 7. Philippines: 8,020 8. Guatemala: 5,090 9. Russia: 4,380 10. Afghanistan: 4,050 etc FIREARM-RELATED DEATH RATES (AGE-ADJUSTED), BOTH SEXES, 2016 (7) Aggregate gun-related deaths (homicides, suicides, and accidental injuries combined) Highest rates El Salvador: 39.2 deaths per 100,000 people Venezuela: 38.7 Guatemala: 32.3 Greenland (territory): 25.9 Colombia: 25.9 Honduras: 22.5 US Virgin Islands (territory): 21.3 Brazil: 19.4 Jamaica: 18.1 Puerto Rico (territory): 17.1 Lowest rates Singapore: 0.1 deaths per 100,000 people China: 0.2 Oman: 0.2 Japan: 0.2 Taiwan (Province of China): 0.3 Romania: 0.3 United Kingdom: 0.3 Qatar: 0.4 Maldives: 0.4 Mauritius: 0.4 Source: INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS AND EVALUATION (7)
- Economic Cost of Gun Violence Gun violence cost the U.S. $174 billion in 2010 or an average of $645 per gun in America: (5) The community cost per firearm assault injury — including work loss, medical/mental health care, emergency transportation, police/criminal justice activities, insurance claims processing, employer costs and decreased quality of life — was $6 million for each fatality and $583,000 for each hospital-admitted patient
- Injuries And Disability Caused by Firearm FIREARM INJURIES The intentional one’s account for a great tendency (>50%) to involve the region of the head and neck, often being fatal. (12) On the contrary, unintentional gunshots are usually (>70%) in the extremities, where prompt treatment is potentially lifesaving The length of hospitalization of firearm injury is 3 days for trauma patients with just 4 gun shots wounds and 8 days for a patient with 5 gunshot wounds. (12 ) Disabilities that can result from Firearm injury Disabilities can result from firearm injuries and this disability can range from amputations to spinal cord injuries, resulting in an impaired quality of life and independence, which subsequently lead to increased cost to society. (12)
- Lack of Funding for Gun Violence Research Compared To Other Leading Causes Of Death between 2014-2015 in the US Funding represents the total funding awarded over the years 2004 to 2015 in the US. (9) More than 30,000 people are killed with guns in the U.S. every year. That's more than die of AIDS, and about the same number as die in car crashes or from liver disease. But unlike AIDS or car crashes, the government doesn't treat gun injuries or deaths as a public health threat. The government spends only about $22 million a year on funding for gun violence related research — a tiny fraction of what it spends on other major health threats. The lawmakers at the senate back in 1997,Added a provision in bill that provide funds for the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention barring the agency from conducting or engaging in activities that would "advocate or promote gun control." At the same time, CDC’s budget was cut by the exact amount it had been spending in gun violence research up until then, hence this made it impossible for any research to be carried on gun violence by the Centre for disease control. (9)
- STATES WITH STRONGER FIREARM LAWS HAD LOWER RATES OF FIREARM HOMICIDES A cross-sectional analysis of deaths from 2010 through 2014 of states with strong firearm laws, it was observed that states with stronger gun laws had lower rates gun-related homicide and suicide than states with less gun control regulations., furthermore it was reported that counties who shared the same boarder or was surrounded by states with stronger guns laws had lower rates too.(12) It’s evident that gun control regulation is effective in states and other states with little or no laws can learn from this as it has been proven effective. (12)
- Organisation Against Gun control Laws in the U.S The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) 8. is an American non-profit organization that advocates for gun rights and it has been lobbying for and against firearms legislation since 1975 active members with presidents and congress men being members of same organisation, with very NRA being a Pro gun organisation having more than 5 million lobbying of politicians to avoid promoting gun control bills, hence this has made it more difficult to for law makers to make laws favouring gun control. (8). Organisation for Gun Control Laws (3). Brady Campaign (3). Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence The Brady Campaign works to pass and enforce federal and state gun laws, regulations, and public policies through grassroots activism, electing public officials who support gun control legislation, and increasing public awareness of gun violence. Background checks blocked 192,043 prohibited persons from gaining access to guns, including 82,000 felons or roughly 225 felons every day this was in 2012 alone as result of Brady Campaign to prevent gun violence Statistics reported by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence confirm that background checks work and have had a significant positive impact on national crime rates (3).
- Compare Australian and USA Gun Control Laws Guiding gun control legislation in Australia includes the National Firearms Agreement (NFA) of 1996 and 2017, the National Firearms Trafficking Policy Agreement (NFTPA) 2002, (1). The Australian governments united to remove semi-automatic and pump-action shot guns and refiles in the custody of civilians after the 1996 gun violence massacre in Tasmania in which 35 people died. Australia has since then enjoyed a decade of free of fatal mass shootings, and huge declines in firearm deaths, particularly suicides. Total homicide rates followed the same pattern this was made possible when the gun control law that removed large numbers of rapid-firing firearms from civilians. It seems this may be an effective way of reducing mass shootings, firearm homicides and suicide. (1).
- Compare US and Australian Gun control Laws Despite the several firearm laws that have been passed till date, gun violence is still a big problem in the U.S and this was further made difficult by the court decision affirmed individual right to own a gun for personal use in the landmark District of Columbia v. Heller decision in 2008, which overturned a handgun ban in the Federal District of Columbia.(2) The National Refile Association (NRA) being a Pro gun organisation having more than 5 million active members with presidents and congress men being members of same organisation, with very strong lobbying of politicians to avoid promoting gun control bills, hence this has made it more difficult. (2)
- Comparing the Effectiveness of Gun control in Australia and the USA: In 2016, there were more than 14,415 gun-related deaths alone in the U.S which was relatively high compared to Australia that had just 238 deaths in 2013 (1), (2)
- Recommendation (11). 1.Making laws that will further reduce easy access to dangerous weapons. 2.Establishing a culture of gun safety will go a long way to help Reduce firearm access to youth and individuals who are at risk of harming themselves or others. Hold the gun industry accountable and ensure there is adequate oversight over the marketing and sales of guns and ammunition. Insist on mandatory training and licensing for owners. Require safe and secure gun storage. 3.Recognize gun violence as a critical and preventable public health problem e.g. by allowing Doctors to discuss about gun control with their patients. 4. Expand access to, culturally competent, coordinated, high quality, social, emotional, and mental health supports and address the impact of trauma, community mental health should be provided to ensure mental health support and trauma support to individuals or victims of gun violence. 5. Support gun violence research: Ensure that the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others have the resources needed to study this issue and provide evidenced-based guidance. 6. Mental health and wellbeing: Invest in communities to promote resilience and mental health and wellbeing. (11).
- Recommendation (11). Economic development: Creating more job opportunities for youths, it's noted that when an individual is gainfully employed, they won’t think about violence. Investment in employment opportunities will go a long way to create jobs for the youths and in turn reduce gun violence Application of gun law principles: The new firearm laws need to be evidenced based with reference to states in the United states and countries where gun control has been proven to be effective will go along way to reduce firearm violence. An example of this is Red Flag regulation: It is a strategy if put in place will help reduce gun violence, this regulation allows law enforcement or persons family who sees someone using a gun who might pose a danger to them self or someone else this regulation allows their guns to be seized from them for some amount of them. This will ensure that people are careful with their guns. Law enforcement violence or Police brutality :Establish accountability for sworn officers of the law and private security: Laws should be put in place where by police officers are held accountable for their actions. Background checks before any gun purchases is done have been proven by a lot of studies to reduce gun violence. Allowing the law enforcement agency to do background checks will ensure that thorough investigation is done furthermore, increasing the waiting time from 3 days which was known before to a longer time as practiced in other countries where firearm regulations has worked effectively will go a long way to help., hence ensuring effective background checks is necessary. 11.