Firearms are the #1 cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 19 years. The US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has declared firearm violence in the US as a public health crisis.
Although stricter state gun laws are associated with lower rates of deaths in children, it may sometimes feel that, even though we as pediatricians see the direct effect of firearm violence in our daily work, change is impossible.
If you are one who feels this way, I would strongly encourage you to read the Advocacy Case Report and accompanying video abstract being early released this week in Pediatrics, entitled “Legislative Advocacy in Illinois for Firearm Injury Prevention,” by Dr. Deanna Behrens from Advocate Children’s Hospital in Illinois and colleagues from Northwestern University and the Illinois AAP (10.1542/peds.2023-065059).
Two of the authors, Dr. Deanna Behrens and Dr. Karen Sheehan, are pediatricians who worked with medical organizations, community partners, and legislators to get gun safety legislation passed in Illinois. In this article, they and their co-authors describe their activities, including:
- Building coalitions,
- Crafting the language of proposed laws,
- Developing public messaging campaigns, and
- Testifying to legislative committees.
Importantly, the authors played key roles in both providing data about firearm violence in the state, including intervention models that could decrease the rates of pediatric firearm deaths, and relaying stories about the personal impact of firearm violence.
Read this inspiring article. It will no doubt give you ideas for how you can advocate for change in your community—in the area of gun safety and in other areas as well!
