TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Organized medicine, especially the AMA and the American College of Physicians (ACP), is joining with the Obama Administration in calling for more gun control measures, but there is no "evidence-based" support for this, states Jane M. Orient, M.D., in the fall 2013 issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.
Universal background checks seem to be the favorite suggestion, although the limited available before-and-after evidence showed only a possible decrease in suicides in persons over 55 after background checks were implemented, she writes. Instead of evidence, proponents cite a public opinion survey of low-information respondents in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings.
A much-cited study in JAMA purports to show that there is less "gun violence" in states with more gun laws. However, the effect disappears if one looks only at homicides, instead of the combination of homicides and suicides. Orient notes. Moreover, the study's authors acknowledge that no cause-and-effect conclusions could be drawn from an ecological study like this one.
Contrary to assertions by gun control advocates, the U.S. is far from the world's most violent nation. Although in the top ranking for gun ownership (more than 75 guns per 100 persons), the U.S. is in the lowest band for homicides (0-5 per 100,000 persons). Read More
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