"Treat owning and using a gun like owning and using a car"
"In spite of the growing chorus demanding action, it’s difficult to imagine Congress moving soon on firearm safety." - Dr. Jonathan Fielding
The number of deaths from gun violence should erase any doubt that a real epidemic is underway. In 2016, more than 38,000 Americans died — 4,000 deaths more than 2015 — and an additional 80,000 were injured in gun violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s an epidemic, but we lack public consensus on acceptable treatment.
An idea has gained traction recently: Treat owning and using a gun like owning and using a car. It seems logical. We need to pass competency and safety tests to get a driver’s license; we need to register and insure our car, as well as pass periodic inspections.
It could work. Like guns, cars are inherently dangerous. In the 1920’s, traffic laws didn’t exist, stoplights and road signs were uncommon except in cities and pedestrians were regularly killed in intersections and roadways.
Faculty Referenced by this Article
Dr. Michelle S. Keller is a health services researcher whose research focuses on the use and prescribing of high-risk medications.
EMPH Academic Program Director with expertise in healthcare marketing, finance, and reproductive health policy, teaching in the EMPH, MPH, MHA program
Dr. Ron Andersen is the Wasserman Professor Emeritus in the UCLA Departments of Health Policy and Management.
Professor of Community Health Sciences & Health Policy and Management, and Associate Dean for Research
Nationally recognized health services researcher and sociomedical scientist with 25+ years' experience in effectiveness and implementation research.
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