The Society of Hospital Medicine Issues Statement in Response to Gun Violence

Uvalde, Tulsa, Buffalo, Philadelphia. These and more than 240 other communities in the United States have faced mass gun violence since the start of 2022. More than 45,000 people died in the United States in 2020 due to gun violence, and firearm injuries are now the leading cause of death among children and adolescents.[1]

Gun violence affects our communities and workplaces around the country. The impact of a gunshot is immediate and acute, but long-term sequelae and complications continue to harm people’s health long after the event – all contributing to mortality, morbidity, and mental and emotional injury.

Hospitalists practice hospital medicine, a medical specialty dedicated to the delivery of comprehensive medical care to hospitalized patients. We see the effects of gun violence firsthand when victims receive care in the hospital, we experience it directly when we no longer feel safe in our workplace due to the prevalence of violence in the clinical setting, and we feel it as community members when our hometowns experience these tragedies. Bold, significant policy change is needed to curb the epidemic of gun violence throughout the country.

We need measures that prioritize reducing gun violence, increasing public and workplace safety, and funding research for evidence-based solutions to address contributing factors. We need to monitor the impact of any new measures and continually take steps and make changes when necessary.

Too many lives have been cut short, families torn apart, workplaces rendered unsafe, and communities ravaged by America’s gun violence problem. Continued inaction is unconscionable. Congress must act now.