Great post, Sawbones. I am 47 years out of medical school and 5 years into retirement from a career in surgery, much of which was trauma surgery. I have been a shooter and collector since 1932. I think some things need clarification.
First, the US Public Health Service, being the good bureaucracy it is, has a need to expand its horizons (in order to get more money from congress-plus, that's what bureaucracies do-try to expand) so they claim gun violence is a public health problem and guns are the "virus". It doesn't take medical expertise to know that gun violence and murder are criminal justice problems. Tuberculosis, AIDS, bad water, etc are public health problems.
Medical organizations, on the other hand, tend to be largely political organizations who profess to represent the patients and the physicians. In reality, like many other do-good organizations, much of the reason for their continued existence is to support the organization and paid staff. I don't really believe the pro gun physicians are that much in the minority of all physicians but probably are in the minority of medical politicians.
Physicians should direct their attention toward solving medical problems such as reducing the needless deaths from "medical misadventures" and leave politics to politicians. Unfortunately, large organizations will always attract politicans.
It is not just medical organizations, either, as witness the antigun stance of the American Bar Association. Lawyers, however, seem smart enough to avoid asking such stupid questions of their clients if it is not connected to their case.
O J KING, MD, FACS
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OJ
NRA LIFE MEMBER
[This message has been edited by OJ (edited September 20, 1999).]
[This message has been edited by OJ (edited September 20, 1999).]
[This message has been edited by OJ (edited September 21, 1999).]