SAN ANTONIO — The American College of Surgeons offered seven suggestions Thursday to save lives. The surgeons say both gun owners and non-gun owners agree on these proposals.
Trauma surgeon Dr. Ronnie Stewart from University Health San Antonio treated not just four victims from Uvalde but also victims from Sutherland Springs.
“Treatment is not enough effective to prevent tragedies,” Dr. Stewart said.”
He said guns can be immediately deadly.
“A high-capacity magazine-fed semiautomatic rifle such as the AR-15 causes extremely destructive tissue wounds,” Dr. Stewart said. “These wounds are horrible lethal at close range. Sadly, most victims don’t survive long enough to make it to a trauma center.”
Dr. Stewart said all four of the patients he treated from Uvalde are improving but healing will still take time.
“All of them have a long road to deal with recovery with both the physical and emotional impact of their injuries," he said.
He and other surgeons said saving lives from firearm wounds needs to start before patients are hospitalized. They offered these changes:
- Expand background checks
- Require better gun registration and transfer policies
- Restrict and regulate some weapons
- Mandate safety training for gun owners
- Hold owners not providing safe gun storage accountable
- Fund research for firearm injuries and
- Increase recognition of mental health warning signs
“We can prevent these atrocities,” Dr. Stewart said.
“We are unwilling to wait for another tragedy to befall another community when we believe we have a series of actions that can save lives today,” said Dr. Patricia Turner, the executive director of the American College of Surgeons.
The CDC recently said that firearms are the leading cause of death for children.
Many of the surgeons’ recommendations require Congress to take action.