PA Bill Number: HB829
Title: In preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Description: An Act amending the act of April 12, 1951 (P.L.90, No.21), known as the Liquor Code, in preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Last Action: Signed in House
Last Action Date: Jul 3, 2024
A congresswoman's push to have gun violence treated as a public health issue :: 05/08/2019
THE PUSH TO HAVE GUN VIOLENCE TREATED AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE: Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., says gun violence should be considered a public health issue, and she is promoting legislation that would require the federal government to treat it as such.
Kelly is the author of a first-of-its-kind bill to require the surgeon general to study gun violence as a public health issue.
An annual report on gun violence, in Kelly's view, could help tip the balance of the gun control debate toward stricter regulation.
Kelly introduced her bill, which has 48 co-sponsors, just a few months after the National Rifle Association on Twitter told “self-important anti-gun doctors” to "stay in their lane" and keep far away from the gun violence debate.
Kelly calls the idea that doctors shouldn't tell patients about the risks of guns "absolutely ridiculous."
"They are well in their lane. It’s a big lane,” she told the Washington Examiner’s Cassidy Morrison for an interview in our weekly magazine.
Only trauma surgeons and emergency room doctors can fully grasp the ramifications of violence inflicted with guns, supporters of Kelly's bill argue. By treating victims, physicians gain an understanding of the human costs of shootings that participants in the gun rights debate lack.
The NRA has long opposed having federal agencies research shootings as public health incidents. Gun rights supporters instead generally couch the issue as one of rights, specifically the right guaranteed by the Second Amendment.
Kelly represents Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, which comprises Chicago suburbs and parts of southeast Chicago, an area of the city where gun violence is common.
The tragedies unfolding in Kelly's district are wearying, she says, but they serve as a reminder of the need for legislation. “That’s what actually keeps me going," she said.
Good morning and welcome to the Washington Examiner’s Daily on Healthcare! This newsletter is written by senior healthcare reporter Kimberly Leonard (@LeonardKL) and healthcare reporter Cassidy Morrison (@CassMorrison94). You can reach us with tips, calendar items, or suggestions at dailyonhealthcare@washingtonexaminer.com. If someone forwarded you this email and you’d like to receive it regularly, you can subscribe here.
