title:  American Medical Association Demands Research In Gun Violence, Calls It A National Health Crisis
text: As debate rages on over whether to ban assault rifles, pass stricter background checks, and ban potential terrorists from buying guns, the American Medical Association is demanding one thing: research into American s gun obsession.Calling the epidemic a  very public health crisis,  the AMA s President, Dr. Steven Stack, told reporters at an annual meeting in Chicago that the time is now to fund research, which has been stonewalled for years by Congress and the powerful lobbying efforts of the NRA. But now, the AMA is fighting back, pledging to actively lobby Congress: With approximately 30,000 men, women and children dying each year at the barrel of a gun in elementary schools, movie theaters, workplaces, houses of worship and on live television, the United States faces a public health crisis of gun violence. Even as America faces a crisis unrivaled in any other developed country, the Congress prohibits the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from conducting the very research that would help us understand the problems associated with gun violence and determine how to reduce the high rate of firearm-related deaths and injuries. Thanks to GOP obstructionism, a lift on the CDC s investigation into gun violence was stalled when Senate Republicans blocked funding for the research. Stack stressed the importance of allowing such research, saying that figuring out why the epidemic continues is  vital so physicians and other health providers, law enforcement and society at large may be able to prevent injury, death and other harms to society resulting from firearms. And before the NRA nuts accuse the AMA of unconstitutional activism, it should be noted that the only stake the AMA has in this research is  the safety of firearms and their use, and reducing and preventing firearm violence. That s all there is to it. Doctors wanting to save lives? Wow, what a concept! These people aren t politicians, they re health advisors. And America s violent obsession with guns is a threat to the safety and health of everyone.This is the first time the American Medical Association has taken such a firm stance on a political issue on this magnitude. Perhaps Republicans (who go on and on about doctors and Obamacare) should listen to what the doctors are saying.Featured image via Justin Sullivan/Getty Images