I knew that we all were in trouble when I received a bulletin from one of my insurance companies. The first article reviewed workplace violence, which as they summarized is a threat that cannot be ignored and that as a difficult a subject that it is, it is important for businesses to consider active shooter/ workplace violence insurance to cover gaps in standard coverage insurance.

According to 2017 data from the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), America is averaging almost one mass shooting a day. GVA considers a mass shooting any incident in which a gunman shoots or kills four or more people in the same time and location. They recorded 345 mass shootings in 2017 and, as of the time of this blog post, 213 in 2018. How depressing and what it says about our society and humanity in general.

Consider this next article:

More hurt, killed in shootings with semiautomatic rifles

More people are wounded and killed in active shooter incidents in which semi-automatic rifles are used, according to a research letter published in the Sept. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Elzerie de Jager, M.B.B.S., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues compared the number of persons wounded, killed, and either wounded or killed during active shooter incidents with and without semiautomatic rifles.

Seventy-six of the 248 active shooter incidents involved a rifle; a semiautomatic rifle was involved in 61 incidents (24.6 percent). The researchers found that 898 and 718 persons were wounded and killed, respectively. A higher incidence of

persons wounded (unadjusted mean, 5.48 versus 3.02; incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.81; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.30 to 2.53), killed (mean, 4.25 versus 44.9 percent; IRR, 0.99; 95 percent CI, 0.60 to 1.61).

“Semiautomatic rifles are designed for easy use, can accept large magazines, and fire high-velocity bullets, enabling active shooters to wound and kill more people per incident,” the authors write.

Gun Violence Threatens the Health of Our Nation

Why am I posting this issue again? Because it does affect the health care of our country with thousands being injured and killed and therefore needs surgical and medical care. Fed up with excuses for why policymakers cannot do anything to stop gun violence, Families USA–along with more than 170 national and state partners–are demanding action. They sent a letter to leaders in Congress urging full repeal of the ban on federally funded research into gun violence.

Last month, 17 people, including 14 students, were killed in a mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. While the increased incidents of mass shootings are shocking, they are only the most visible instances of gun violence. Tragically, more than 35,000 people, including nearly 3,000 children, die from gun violence each year in the United States.

Gun violence disproportionately affects children of color

Gun violence knows no barriers. The shooting in Parkland was just the latest in a surge of mass shootings in places as diverse as a country music concert in Las Vegas, an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, and an African-American church in Charleston, SC. All people can be affected by this violence but is particularly felt in low-income and racial and ethnic minority communities. African American, Hispanic, and American Indian boys are all significantly more likely to be killed by gun violence than white children.

Families USA recognizes gun violence as a severe threat to the health of our nation. As an organization focused on health care, we have not engaged previously in the vigorous national debate on gun violence. We are entering that debate today because our nation is at a turning point.

While the numbers of people hurt are staggering, we know too little about the causes and effects of gun violence in our community. This is in part due to the “Dickey Amendment” — an effective ban on federally funded research into gun violence. It is past time for that ban to end.

As health care policy experts, we know that effective policy relies on evidence-based research. Despite gun violence is a leading cause of death for children, in 1996 Congress forbade any funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that “may be used to advocate or promote gun control.” The Dickey Amendment, named after its congressional sponsor, has effectively stifled meaningful federal funding for research on the causes and effects gun violence. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that “in relation to mortality rates, gun violence research was the least-researched cause of death.”

Across the country, students are rallying to urge policymakers to take action against gun violence. They are asking adults to enact policies to stem the rising tide of gun violence against children. There are many policies that Congress should enact to protect young people and all Americans against violence, but the healthcare community is united in calling for the end of one policy that is clearly indefensible.

America’s gun culture in 10 charts

Students across the United States will join a national march to call for tighter gun control and to highlight the issue of school safety.

The March for Our Lives was organized by pupils at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, where a former student is accused of killing 17 people last month.

The shooting, one of the worst in US history, renewed debate about gun laws and the rights of gun owners.

What do young people think about gun control?

When looking at the period before the Parkland shooting, it is interesting to track how young people have felt about gun control.

Support for gun control over the protection of gun rights in America is highest among 18 to 29-year-olds, according to a study by the Pew Research Centre, with a spike after the Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016. The overall trend though suggests a slight decrease in support for gun control over gun rights since 2000.

Pew found that one-third of over-50s said they owned a gun. The rate of gun ownership was lower for younger adults – about 28%. White men are especially likely to own a gun.

How does the US compare with other countries?

About 40% of Americans say they own a gun or live in a household with one, according to a 2017 survey, and the rate of murder or manslaughter by firearm is the highest in the developed world. There were more than 11,000 deaths as a result of murder or manslaughter involving a firearm in 2016.

Homicides are taken here to include murder and manslaughter. The FBI separates statistics for what it calls justifiable homicide, which includes the killing of a criminal by a police officer or private citizen in certain circumstances, which are not included.

Who owns the world’s guns?

While it is difficult to know exactly how many guns civilians own around the world, by every estimate the US with around 270 million is far out in front.

Switzerland and Finland are the European countries with the most guns per person – they both have compulsory military service for all men over the age of 18. Cyprus, Austria, and Yemen also have military service.

How do US gun deaths break down?

There have been more than 90 mass shootings in the US since 1982, according to the investigative magazine Mother Jones.

Up until 2012, a mass shooting was defined as when an attacker had killed four or more victims in an indiscriminate rampage – and since 2013 the figures include attacks with three or more victims. The shootings do not include killings related to other crimes such as armed robbery or gang violence.

The overall number of people killed in mass shootings each year represents only a tiny percentage of the total number.

There were near twice as many suicides involving firearms in 2015 as there were murders involving guns, and the rate has been increasing in recent years. Suicide by firearm accounts for almost half of all suicides in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

AA 2016 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found there was a strong relationship between higher levels of gun ownership in a state and higher firearm suicide rates for both men and women.

Attacks in the US become deadlier

The Las Vegas attack was the worst in recent US history – and five of the shootings with the highest number of casualties happened within the past 10 years.

The Parkland, Florida, the attack is the worst school shooting since Sandy Hook in 2012.

What types of guns kill Americans?

Military-style assault-style weapons have been blamed for some of the major mass shootings such as the attack in an Orlando nightclub and at the Sandy Hook School in Connecticut.

Dozens of rifles were recovered from the scene of the Las Vegas shooting, Police reported.

A few US states have banned assault-style weapons, which were totally restricted for a decade until 2004.

However, most murders caused by guns involve handguns, according to FBI data.

How much do guns cost to buy?

For those from countries where guns are not widely owned, it can be a surprise to discover that they are relatively cheap to purchase in the US.

Among the arsenal of weapons recovered from the hotel room of Las Vegas shooter, Stephen Paddock were handguns, which can cost from as little $200 (£151) – comparable to a Chromebook laptop.

Assault-style rifles also recovered from Paddock’s room, can cost around $1,500 (£1,132).

In addition to the 23 weapons at the hotel, a further 19 were recovered from Paddock’s home. It is estimated that he may have spent more than $70,000 (£52,800) on firearms and accessories such as tripods, scopes, ammunition, and cartridges.

Who supports gun control?

US public opinion on the banning of handguns has changed dramatically over the last 60 years. Support has shifted over time and now a significant majority opposes a ban on handguns, according to polling by Gallup.

But a majority of Americans say they are dissatisfied with US gun laws and policies, and most of those who are unhappy want stricter legislation.

Some controls are widely supported by people across the political divide – such as restricting the sale of guns to people who are mentally ill, or on “watch” lists.

But Republicans and Democrats are much more divided over other policy proposals, such as whether to allow ordinary citizens increased rights to carry concealed weapons – according to a survey from Pew Research Center.

In his latest comment on the shootings, President Donald Trump said he would be “talking about gun laws as times goes by”. The White House said now is not the time to be debating gun control.

His predecessor, Barack Obama, struggled to get any new gun control laws onto the statute books, because of Republican opposition.

Who opposes gun control?

The National Rifle Association (NRA) campaigns against all forms of gun control in the US and argues that more guns make the country safer.

It is among the most powerful special interest lobby groups in the US, with a substantial budget to influence members of Congress on gun policy.

In total, about one in five US gun owners say they are members of the NRA – and it has especially widespread support from Republican-leaning gun owners, according to Pew Research.

In terms of lobbying, the NRA officially spends about $3m per year to influence gun policy.

The chart shows only the recorded contributions to lawmakers published by the Senate Office of Public Records.

The NRA spends millions more elsewhere, such as on supporting the election campaigns of political candidates who oppose gun controls.

I’m not sure the correct answer to all these shootings but something has to be done. I’m not sure how we read the minds of those with mental issues but we need to find ways to evaluate and give them help and treat them and keep guns away from them, especially automatic weapons.

Back to our discussion on single payer systems and Medicare for All next week.