Surveys reveal that more than 200 Americans are injured due to shot wounds every day and more than 100 deaths occur due to firearms daily. The public health approach can ensure that the epidemic of gun violence can be addressed and that death and injuries due to firearms are prevented.
Public health involves preventing diseases, injuries, and fatalities and promoting the well-being of the population through scientific research, data practices, and effective policies. Public health policies and approaches apply to the entire population and can aim to address issues including assessing firearms and other factors for reducing gun violence. Such approaches have been used in the past for reducing car crashes, smoking and tobacco-related deaths, and other epidemics and widespread issues affecting the population successfully.
Difference between Healthcare and Public Health Solutions
For the accurate implementation of public health approaches, it is important to understand the difference between public health and healthcare. Both of these measures attempt to improve well-being and health, albeit with different goals. The public health policies and approaches aim to improve the health of the population of an entire region. For it, large-scale prevention programs and interventions may be required. However, the goal of healthcare is to improve an individual’s health. Public health policies and practices can address multiple factors impacting the well-being and health of the population of a region. The factors include the protective and risk factors.
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Gunfire Violence: A Public Health Issue of Epidemic Proportions
Data available on the subject reveals that more than 40,000 Americans died due to gun violence and firearm incidents in the year 2018 alone. In the same year, 71,000 Americans suffered from non-fatal injuries caused by firearms. Firearms cause more death when compared to car crashes and chronic diseases including stroke and diabetes. Gun violence and firearm injuries may take forms including:
- Firearm suicide.
- Firearm homicide.
- Shootings involving police.
- Unintentional shootings.
- Non-fatal shot wounds/firearm injuries.
- Domestic violence.
- Random exposure to guns and firearm violence.
The Public Health Policy and Approach for Addressing Gun Violence
The comprehensive and multifaceted approach of public health policies has been used in the past to successfully address epidemics including car crashes. Such widespread interventions have ensured that the populations can save millions of lives. The time-tested and proven benefits of public health interventions and approaches can also be used for tackling gun violence issues. Some of the important interventions may include:
- Allowing the federal regulatory agencies to regulate and control the manufacturing of firearms for ensuring gun safety.
- Providing funding to research endeavors and to the healthcare government program solutions for the masses.
- Ensuring that each firearm purchase takes place after an application and background-check procedure. Safety education can also be made mandatory before a license for owning a firearm is allotted to a person.
- Providing the necessary guidelines to manufacturers to ensure that the firearms and guns are safe and include safety measures (such as microstamping technology).
- Implementing the age-related requirements for possessing or owning a gun or a firearm.
- Having a regular and routine procedure for reviewing the licenses of firearm owners.
- Calling for an intervention of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ensure that the industry and the firearm products are well regulated and accountability is practiced at each stage of their manufacturing and transaction.
- Holding fire manufacturers responsible for any reckless and dangerous sale of firearms under relevant laws (including the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act).
Conclusion
Gun violence is a grave issue affecting the population. The time-tested and proven public health approaches and practices have helped populations overcome many epidemic issues in the past. However adequate research, data collection, and evidence-based practices and policies of public health can help Americans address the issue of gun violence successfully and prevent death and injuries to a great extent.
