We live. We eventually die. This living/dying process does not discriminate; one day, we all must participate in it.
However, dying by gun violence was never intended to be the precipitator of death. But for some reason, here in the United States of America and particularly in St. Louis, losing your life from senseless acts of violence is common.
The sun rises, the sun sets, someone is murdered. Apparently, this has become our local rhythm.
Yet, I’m fed up and exhausted. How many times must I call one of my patients and offer a word of condolence? What can I say? “I’m so sorry for your loss. Would you like something to help you sleep?”
I’ve done this routine with grieving mothers, wives and daughters. And recently this vigilante gun epidemic has even crept into my sacred congregation, leaving a young mother to raise three children by herself. When will it end?
Maybe this issue isn’t upsetting to you because of where you live and work. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 40,000 people were fatally shot in the U.S. in 2017. This is roughly 10,000 more people since 1999, a record high. With that in mind, I would discourage anyone from placing false security in your zip code.
Remember the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre when Adam Lanza killed 27 people and himself? The average income of this community was over $86,000, one of the highest in the country, and the high school graduation rate was around 95 percent.
After that horrific killing of innocent children in 2012, I was hopeful that better gun control legislation would be passed. Everyone wants to keep our kids safe, right? Obviously, I was wrong.
Since Sandy Hook, there have been 1,954 mass shootings in which 2,229 people died and 8,158 people were wounded. Whether it is Las Vegas or Florida, the shootings continue. Not to mention all of the fatalities that occur on a daily basis in some of our urban areas as well.
Per the National Rifle Association(NRA), gun control laws are not the answer. Then what is it, members of the NRA? No other nation in the world has as many guns as the U.S. In the U.S., there are more guns than people. This obsession with our 2nd Amendment rights has taken such a strange and deadly turn. I cannot imagine the authors of this amendment agreeing to allow someone with severe mental illness to own a gun, as in the case with the Sandy Hook killer.
Every time these catastrophic events occur, we all express our outrage with our coworkers, families, and social media. But where is the action? How are we holding our politicians accountable? Have we pushed them to produce any worthwhile legislation that would take guns out of inappropriate hands? Are we doing our part to keep our personal guns locked away so they cannot be used in a crime?
Bottom line: we have too many guns on the street, and our elected officials lack the courage to stand up to the powerful gun lobbyists. Yet, we continue to re-elect them, leaving us without a return on our investment. So, as for me, I don’t want to hear about another march; I don’t want to see your campaign flyer. I simply want justice for those grieving families and a safe place to live, work, and play.
Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D., is an assistant professor at SLUCare Family Medicine and the medical accuracy editor of The St. Louis American. Email her at yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com.
