News & Media
MSMS Explores Violence as a Public Health Issue
At the July meeting of the Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) Board of Directors, the Board reviewed the role of physicians and MSMS in addressing violence prevention. The Board hosted robust discussion on violence as a public health issue and emphasized the importance of promoting evidence-based solutions to understand what factors protect people or put them at risk for experiencing or perpetrating violence. The Board also reviewed the extensive policy on firearm safety adopted by the MSMS House of Delegates over the years.
Highlighted below are existing MSMS policies on gun violence and firearm safety issues, which include support for:
- Education and training on gun safety, including requirements for firearm safety certifications
- Strategies to increase firearm safety and prevent firearm injury and death
- Evidence-based research on gun-related injuries and deaths
- Bans on look-alike toy guns and the sale of assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines
- Policies prohibiting acquisition of firearms by high-risk person and limits on the ownership and use of assault weapons
- Effective controls on the assembly, manufacture, distribution, and possession of handguns
- Recommendations made in the publication, “Firearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States: A Call to Action From 8 Health Professional Organizations and the American Bar Association”
- Distribution of educational materials to firearm purchasers including the use of lock boxes, trigger locks, childproof safety catches and loading indicators
- The ability of local units of government to impose restrictions on the ownership, registrations, purchase, sale, transfer, transportation, or possession of guns within their area of jurisdiction
- Use of state/national firearms injury databases to inform state/federal health policy
- The ability of physicians to assist in preventing firearm injuries by health screening, patient counseling on gun safety, and referral to mental health services if necessary
- A waiting period for all firearm purchases in Michigan
- The prohibition of firearms and explosive devices of all kinds, with a carry exception for law enforcement officials, in local and state government buildings
View MSMS's 2022 Policy Manual in full>>
As a result of the discussions held at the meeting, the Board has charged MSMS’s Liaison Committee with Michigan’s Public Health to develop strategic recommendations and priorities for MSMS’s work on gun violence. The Committee will build out recommendations by considering existing policies, identifying areas of expertise, and reviewing evidence-based solutions.
Chaired by Sandro Cinti, MD, Washtenaw County Medical Society, the Liaison Committee with Michigan’s Public Health works to improve information and communication channels among public health officers, practicing physicians, and the public on environmental and public health issues of mutual concern. The Committee also advises the MSMS Board on key issues pertaining to public health policy and community well-being in Michigan. Currently, the Committee meets virtually on a quarterly basis.
The Committee is open for new members as it begins its work on addressing gun violence prevention. If you are interested in joining MSMS’s Liaison Committee with Michigan’s Public Health, please contact Mary Kate Barnauskas at 517-336-7575.