Minnesota Healthcare Leaders Demand Action on Gun Violence
Minnesota health care leaders gathered Thursday at the state Capitol to demand that Gov. Tim Walz call a special session to pass gun violence legislation more than a month after the Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting in Minneapolis. The leaders, joined by doctors who cared for Annunciation victims, are calling for four gun control measures: a ban on assault-style weapons, a ban on high-capacity magazines, safe storage laws, and the removal of the local preemption law that prohibits cities from enacting local gun control.
A Public Health Crisis
“This is no longer a friendly request from their local doctors,” said Dr. Lisa Mattson, president of the Minnesota Medical Association. “This is a demand from the tens of thousands of physicians across the state who know firearm violence for what it is: a public health crisis.” The doctors in attendance at Thursday’s news conference said they are in conversation with lawmakers, but did not share details about what lawmakers are telling them as to why a special session has yet to be called.
Janna Gewirtz O’Brien, president-elect of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said she’s hearing “a whole lot of empathy and not a lot of action.” “I think sometimes politics gets in the way of good sense,” she said. The lack of action is concerning, especially given the devastating impact of gun violence on communities and families.
Personal Accounts of Trauma
Dr. Trish Valusek, a pediatric trauma surgeon at Children’s Minnesota, recalled receiving a trauma alert the morning of the Annunciation shooting. Valusek said she has cared for children with gunshot wounds before, but that it’s rare for school-age children to be “shot in the head at 8:30 in the morning” on a school day, so she had a gut feeling she would be dealing with a mass casualty. “Having five bloody shocked children arrive at Children’s all at once, all of whom were the same age as my children, one of whom had the same name as one of my children, is very difficult,” she said.
Dr. Tim Kummer, the first physician on the scene, said he still remembers the blood on school uniforms, the looks in the children’s eyes and the screams of parents. Kummer testified on Sept. 15 before Minnesota senators about the difference between a handgun injury and a rifle injury in a 12-year-old girl he treated. He said Thursday that assault weapons “multiplied” the number of children shot at Annunciation, and turned minor wounds into life-threatening ones.
Calling for Evidence-Based Solutions
“For those who say gun violence is a complicated issue, it isn’t,” said Kummer, who coordinates emergency medical services at Hennepin Healthcare. “This is a public health issue, and we know how to address public health issues. We follow the evidence.” The evidence is clear: limiting access to certain weapons can reduce the severity and frequency of gun violence. By implementing common-sense gun control measures, Minnesota can take a crucial step towards preventing similar tragedies in the future.
Read more about the demands for action on gun violence and the personal accounts of trauma from the doctors who treated Annunciation victims Here
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