August 10, 2016
Area(s) of Interest:
Advocacy Public Health
The California Medical Association (CMA) today announced an endorsement of Proposition 63, California’s “Safety for All” ballot initiative to reduce gun violence in California.
More than 300 Americans are shot each day, and firearms kill over 32,000 Americans each year. In 2013, over 6,000 Californians were hospitalized or treated in emergency rooms for nonfatal gunshot wounds, including 1,275 children and teens.
“Far too often, physicians become firsthand witnesses to the horrific aftermath of gun-related tragedies,” CMA President Steve Larson, M.D., MPH, said. “We see it in our hospitals, clinics and on the faces of families who are victims of gun violence. CMA supports Prop. 63 to ensure our communities are safe and healthy places to live.”
CMA’s Board of Trustees, which is composed of physicians elected by their peers, endorsed the measure during a July meeting. In 1994, CMA declared the high volume of guns in California a major public health problem, and the decision to endorse Prop. 63 builds on CMA’s long history of protecting public health and promoting healthy California communities.
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The California Medical Association represents the state's physicians with more than 41,000 members in all modes of practice and specialties. CMA is dedicated to the health of all patients in California. For more information, please visit cmadocs.org, and follow CMA on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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- .@CMAphysicians endorse #Prop63 to reduce thousands of injuries & deaths from gun violence in CA http://cal.md/2aMKqmY #SafetyForAll
In 2013, 6k Californians treated for non-fatal gunshots. @CMAphysicians say we can do better http://cal.md/2aMKqmY #Prop63 #SafetyForAll