The following statement is attributable to:
Jack Resneck Jr., M.D.
President, American Medical Association
“With President Biden’s signature today, for the first time in nearly three decades, new measures to confront the public health crisis of gun violence are law. This law will save lives.
“In the wake of horrific mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, a bipartisan group of senators showed that Congress can act quickly and meaningfully on an issue that for too long paralyzed Washington, even as more than 40,000 people were killed by firearms each year. As physicians, we treat the victims of gun violence each day. We’ve seen the horrific wounds from weapons of war and spent countless hours counseling patients and loved ones. The measures in this law – funding for red flag programs, closing the so-called 'boyfriend loophole,' and expanding background checks on people between the ages of 18 and 21 seeking to buy a gun – will keep weapons out of the hands of people wishing to do harm. This law isn’t a panacea, and more work remains to prevent firearm violence, but it is an important, critical step in the right direction.”
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
